A Splendid Friend Indeed

Carers will enjoy this title as much as their charges! A small goose wants to know what a big bear is doing, and keeps asking him the question while the bear is quietly trying to read, write or think.

Bloom captures to perfection the insistence of a small child, wanting to be included in the adult’s activities, and the exasperation of the older creature trying to take a few moments away from the unremitting pressure of inquisitive young minds.

A simple text and minimalist illustrations nevertheless perfectly capture the mood. The final pages in which the goose makes a snack for the bear and tells him he likes him, eliciting the first positive response from him, are humorous and touching.