jillb30442's review
4.0
This was one of my favorite books when I was little, which kind of surprises me considering how sensitive I was and the fate of the geese in the book. The original book had mostly black and white illustrations and some color spreads, but this rerelease is all in color and is so beautiful. There is an interesting section at the back of the book in which Spier talks about the background of the picture book. Nice to see this one again - it's been years!
luann's review
3.0
I do like Peter Spier's illustrations - although it took me a bit to get used to the alternating pages of color and black and white. The level of detail is amazing! This was a Caldecott Honor in 1962.
On the back of the book they call the text a "timeless folk song." I've never heard it, and maybe it doesn't feel so harsh when you're just singing it, but seeing the fox so gleefully sneak into the farm and first TELL the ducks and geese that they will "grease his chin" and then actually seeing him cheerfully catch and kill a duck and grab the grey goose by the neck and run, well, it made me root for the grey goose!
On the back of the book they call the text a "timeless folk song." I've never heard it, and maybe it doesn't feel so harsh when you're just singing it, but seeing the fox so gleefully sneak into the farm and first TELL the ducks and geese that they will "grease his chin" and then actually seeing him cheerfully catch and kill a duck and grab the grey goose by the neck and run, well, it made me root for the grey goose!
Spoiler
I was hoping she would get a chance to make a run for it! Alas, she becomes the main dish at the foxes supper that night, and the little ones "chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o." I guess that is what foxes do, but still.
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