My Own Five Senses Book

George, J. C. (2008). Goose and Duck. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

I Can Read
2009 ALA Notable Children's Book

This is a story about a boy who finds a baby goose that imprints upon him, and then he and his goose find a baby duck that imprints upon the goose. Together the three of them become the best of friends. Until one day when the goose realizes he is a goose, and the duck realizes she is a duck, and they join their species leaving the boy behind. This story is an excellent book for 1st or 2nd graders who are still learning to read but are able to read independently because the story is engaging but still predictable and repetitive. The watercolor pictures support the text well and will help developing readers decode the text. I think that this story would make an excellent choice for independent reading for younger students. In addition, this story could be used to integrate literature with science instruction because it teaches the readers about imprinting and bird migration patterns. It could be used to introduce those ideas and then through class discussion the teacher could provide students with the specific science vocabulary that is not included in the text.