Gossie wears red boots, Gertie wears blue boots, but Ollie has no boots. Stomping bootless after Gossie and Gertie as they tromp in the straw, romp in the rain, and jump over puddles in their colorful boots leaves Ollie frustrated. Little Ollie decides he really wants his own pair of boots . . . but what will he do if he gets them?
Any toddler who has had to keep up with an older brother or sister will relate to Ollie as he finds his own way in the barnyard.
July 1, 2014
PreS-Gr 3-In Ollie, the duckling main character doesn't want to hatch. Friends Gossie and Gertie wait, watch, and cajole, but still he will not come out of the egg. In the follow-up book, Ollie covets the brightly colored rain boots of his friends, and traipses after Gossie and Gertie until they each share one of their boots with him. Despite thin plots, rudimentary illustrations, and flat characters, the simple sentences and vocabulary of these books makes them accessible to beginning readers. In the accompanying audio downloads, the narrator's voice sounds computer generated with little emotion or inflection to draw listeners in to the story. However, the simple navigation of the downloads, separate listening and read-along tracks, and under-three-minute running times make these audiobooks a good fit for the youngest readers.-Tara Hixon, Cashion Public Schools, OK
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2008
Dunrea's captivating stories about three inquisitive goslings make perfect board books. Dunrea is precisely attuned to the toddler world, and his goslings have the same concerns: making friends, losing beloved objects, wanting someone else's beloved objects. The goslings march across the clean white pages in their bright blue and red boots, having tiny adventures and learning about the world as they go.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2014
Newly formatted editions of Dunrea's charming stories about gosling Ollie, the young companion to Gossie and Gertie, work well as beginning readers. The stories are unchanged, and they are as delightful and child-friendly as ever. The short, expressive sentences use repetition and rhythm nicely, while Dunrea's clean, eloquent illustrations give the earliest of readers additional information to support their efforts.
(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)