Blue Goose

by Nancy Tafuri, Nancy Tafuri (Illustrator)

Overview

When Farmer Gray takes a trip, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick and White Duck decide to paint their black-and-white farm. Red Hen paints the barn red and White Duck paints the fence white. Then Blue Goose and Yellow Chick pour their paint together to make green for the grass and trees. By the time Farmer Gray comes back, the whole farm is full of color—what a wonderful surprise! Incorporating primary and secondary colors, as well as animals, this is a simple and engaging way for young children to learn basic concepts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416928348
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/08/2008
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	1 - 4 Years

About the Author

Nancy Tafuri is the much-loved creator of more than thirty books for young children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Have You Seen My Duckling? and I Love You, Little One. She lives with her husband and daughter in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Nancy Tafuri is the much-loved creator of more than thirty books for young children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Have You Seen My Duckling? and I Love You, Little One. She lives with her husband and daughter in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

-Starred Review-

Farmer Gray's homestead is as colorless as his name-even the sky and grass are gray. So, while he's away for the day, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick and White Duck get some paint and undertake a barnyard makeover. First they cover a few things in their signature colors-and what they redecorate can be surprising: "White Duck painted the fence white. And Yellow Chick painted all the flowers yellow." Next the animals mix the different colors (e.g., yellow and blue make green for the grass.) With a little teamwork, they're even able to paint the sun yellow (this image requires a vertical format so readers can fully savor the effort involved). Tafuri's (The Busy Little Squirrel) animal cast is creative, confident and diligent-there are no pratfalls into paint cans, no falling off of ladders. But the veteran author is more visually playful here than usual: the scenes have the bold, graphic punch of murals. As always, her generously sized animals and pithy text extend a warm welcome to readers, and make this celebration of color ideal for sharing either one-on-one or with a group. Ages 1-4. (Jan.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1
While Farmer Gray is away, Blue Goose, Red Hen, Yellow Chick, and White Duck set out to paint their colorless barnyard. Reminiscent of Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint (Harcourt, 1989), the animals begin by working alone, then pair up to fill in the white spaces for purple doors, orange shutters, and green grass. That evening, when the grinning farmer returns, all that's left to do is for Blue Goose to paint everything a dreamy nighttime blue-except the moon, of course. Done in brush pen, watercolor pencils, gouache, and ink, Tafuri's realistic illustrations evoke a calming pastoral setting. The critters are depicted in textured hues, making them stand out among the newly painted backdrops. This quiet celebration of team spirit and color concepts is no pioneer, but its oversize scenes, straightforward narrative, and endearing characters are ideal for storytime sharing.
—Gay Lynn Van VleckCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Leave it to a gaggle of brightly hued barnyard fowl-including, in addition to the eponymous goose, Yellow Chick, Red Hen and White Duck-to paint their drab environment while the farmer (named Gray, of course) is away. Each paints various items in its own color but then . . . poultry pairs mix primary colors to yield blends! Wouldn't you know it? Everything looks better and brighter. At bedtime, Blue Goose paints all in an evening shade of blue, except for the moon, which remains silvery white. Readers will get a painless lesson in color mixing, and a helpful chart on the back cover reinforces these concepts. As always, Tafuri's illustrations are lush and vibrant, but the text is bland. A nice enough title to guide young children's understanding of color blending, but not a standout. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews