G

o

o
s
e
Goose
Eric D. Goodman
Illustrations By Natali ya A. Goodman
F
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ht
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G

o

o
s
e

G
oo
s
e
copyright page
For Nicole and Alex
in his ock.



l
i
k
e

t
h
e o
t
h
e
r

y
o
u
n
g

ge
e
s
e


G
i
l
b
e
r
t

wa
s

v
e
r
y

m
u
c
h




H e

l
i
k
e
d

t
o

s
w
i
m
..
.
... and run...




H e

l
i
k
e
d

t
o

s
w
i
m
..
.
.
.
.

and y.
.
.
.

and y.
He loved to play
wi th the other geese.
He liked to eat grass by the shore
a
n
d

d
r
i
n
k

t
h
e
pon
d
s
wa
t
e
r
.











a
n
d

d
r
i
n
k
the p
o
n
ds
wa
t
e
r
.
He ate the bread crumbs
that people from the
surrounding houses
fed to him and the other geese.
Johnny al ways
brought the
freshest bread.
One day, when Gilbert was
playing wi th his friends,
there was a
terrible accident.

Gilbert fell into
the street and
a car hi t him!
The dri ver tried to stop,
but
i t was too late.
Gilberts friends came to help him.
Dr. Fouler told Gilbert that he
was going to be all right
except for ONE thing.
He would
no longer
b
e

a
b
l
e



t
o




f


l

y
!
At rst,
Gilberts friends
were helpful
and said nice things
to him when
they played together.
But in time,
they began to
make fun of him














a
n
d

t
o

p
l
a
y

t
r
i
c
ks

o
n

h
i
m
.
They played their goose games,
and then,
all at once, they apped their wings and
ew from one end of the pond to the other,
leaving poor Gilbert all alone. Gilbert swam
as fast as he could to reach them, but as
soon as he did, they apped their wings and
took ight again.
T
h
e
y

s
t
a
r
t
e
d

c
a
l
l
i
n
g

G
i
l
b
e
r
t

n
a
m
e
s
,

l
i
k
e

G

i

l
b
e
r
t
,


t
h
e

i
g
h
t
l
e
s
s


g
o
o
s
e
!

G

i

l
b
e
r
t
,


t
h
e

i
g
h
t
l
e
s
s


g
o
o
s
e
!

D
o
n

t

w
o
r
r
y
,

J
o
h
n
n
y

t
o
l
d

G
i
l
b
e
r
t
.

T
h
e
y

r
e

j
u
s
t

j
e
a
l
o
u
s

b
e
c
a
u
s
e

y
o
u

r
e

d
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
t
.


B
u
t

e
v
e
r
y
o
n
e

i
s

d
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
t
!


O
n
e

d
a
y

t
h
e
y

l
l

s
e
e

t
h
a
t

y
o
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r
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a
s

g
o
o
d

a
s

t
h
e
y

a
r
e
.

As the days grew cooler and cooler,

the elders prepared for
their migration.
Each winter, the ock
ew south for a warm
holiday in Florida.























W
h
e
n
spring

s
p
r
u
n
g

e
a
c
h

y
e
a
r,
the elders prepared for
their migration.
Each winter, the ock
ew south for a warm
holiday in Florida.
I missed you, Johnny would say
when he welcomed them back.























W
h
e
n
spring

s
p
r
u
n
g

e
a
c
h

y
e
a
r,





t
h
e
y
returne
d
h
o
m
e

t
o

t
h
eir po
n
d
.
But this winter
when the geese ew south
for their warm holiday,
Gilbert was left behind.
At rst,
Gilbert had fun sliding on the iced-over parts of the
pond, and waddling through the snow, and running
around and around the pond.
Gilbert spent a lot of time
making his legs stronger.
Since he could no longer y,
But Gilbert soon became lonely
and cold.
He appreciated the visi ts from
Johnny and the other people
who li ved by the pond,
but he missed the other geese.
A
s

w
i
n
t
e
r

b
e
g
a
n

t
o

t
h
a
w
,

G
i
l
b
e
r
t

s
a
w

t
w
o

s
t
r
a
n
g
e
r
s

s
n
e
a
k
i
n
g

a
r
o
u
n
d

t
h
e

p
o
n
d
.

T
h
i
s

i
s

w
h
e
r
e

t
h
e

g
e
e
s
e

l
i
v
e
,

o
n
e

o
f

t
h
e
m

s
a
i
d
.


T
h
e

o
t
h
e
r

l
o
o
k
e
d

a
t

G
i
l
b
e
r
t
.

I
f

t
h
e
y

r
e

a
l
l

a
s

p
l
u
m
p

a
s

t
h
a
t

o
n
e
,

w
e

r
e

i
n

f
o
r

g
o
o
d

e
a
t
i
n
g
!

T
h
e

t
w
o

m
e
n

l
a
u
g
h
e
d
,

a
n
d

t
h
e
n

l
e
f
t

i
n

t
h
e
i
r

v
a
n
.
Gilbert the ightless goose
Days later, the ock returned.
Heeeeeey,
is still here!
Gilbert was happy to see his old friends
again, even though they continued
to pick on him.
They were surprised to see
how fast Gilbert could swim and run.
A few days later,
the t wo creepy strangers
returned to the pond.
The t wo men sneaked up on the geese and began to
snatch them. They threw the geese, one by one,
into large sacks. The men were very quick. The
geese ran as fast as they could, but they were not
fast enough. The t wo men caught them all.





A
lllllll
.
.
.
b
u
t

O
N
E
!
Gilbert, wi th his fast feet,
was so swift that the
t wo strangers
didnt even see him escape.
The creepy strangers
hurried to their van.
We have cages ready
for you back home.
After youre nice and plump,
well eat you one by one
for supper!
The frightened geese honked inside the sacks.
G
i
l
b
e
r
t

r
a
n

a
l
l

t
h
e

w
a
y

t
o

J
o
h
n
n
y

s

h
o
u
s
e
,

w
h
e
r
e

h
e

f
o
u
n
d

h
i
s

f
r
i
e
n
d

s
i
t
t
i
n
g

o
u
t
s
i
d
e
.

H
a
v
e

y
o
u

c
o
m
e

f
o
r

s
o
m
e

b
r
e
a
d
,

y
o
u

s
i
l
l
y

g
o
o
s
e
?

J
o
h
n
n
y

a
s
k
e
d
.


G
i
l
b
e
r
t

h
o
n
k
e
d

w
i
t
h

f
e
a
r
,

a
n
d

J
o
h
n
n
y

u
n
d
e
r
s
t
o
o
d

t
h
a
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i
t

w
a
s

s
o
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e
t
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i
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g

m
o
r
e

s
e
r
i
o
u
s

t
h
a
n

t
h
a
t
.



G
i
l
b
e
r
t

l
e
d

J
o
h
n
n
y

t
o

t
h
e

v
a
n
,

w
h
e
r
e

t
h
e

t
w
o

m
e
n

w
e
r
e

g
e
t
t
i
n
g

r
e
a
d
y

t
o

l
e
a
v
e
.

R
e
l
e
a
s
e

t
h
o
s
e

g
e
e
s
e
!

J
o
h
n
n
y

d
e
m
a
n
d
e
d
.


G
i
l
b
e
r
t

s
q
u
a
w
k
e
d

t
h
e

s
a
m
e
.
Johnny and Gilbert caused
such a commotion that people
from the neighboring houses
looked to see what was
happening.
Theyre kidnapping the
geese! Johnny yelled. Gilbert
honked loudly. One of the
adul ts called the police.
The policemen
came and took
the criminals
to jail,
but not until
every last goose
was set free.
The geese cheered
From that day on,
the other geese never made fun of Gilbert again. Gilbert
proved that even though he could not y, there was
something he could do even better
H

o
o
r
a
y
fo
r Gilb
e
r
t
,

o
u
r

h
e
r
o!

H
o
oray for Gilb
ert, t
h
e

f
a
s
t
e
s
t

g
o
o
se o
f

t
h
e

p
o
n
d
!
RUN!
H

o
o
r
a
y
fo
r Gilb
e
r
t
,

o
u
r

h
e
r
o!
Gilbert was very much like
the other geese in his ock.
But in some ways he was not.
And that is what made him...
great!