The Day the Goose Got Loose by Reeve Lindbergh

The Day the Goose Got Loose by Reeve Lindbergh

A goose gets loose and causes havoc on the farm. All the other animals behave strangely. Dad and Mom are upset, but brother knows why the goose left. He heard the wild geese flying overhead. Grandma wonders what the goose was thinking, and the narrator of the story dreams of going along for the ride.

• Read the title of the book from the cover, pointing to each word as you say it. Repeat the title with the child.

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the story, moving your finger under the words as you read. Give your child plenty of time to look at the pictures.
• As you go through the book, have the child point out the goose in each picture. Talk about what he or she is doing. Can the child find the little girl in some of the pictures? Look closely at the pictures together.

Reading the Book Again and Again

• Each time you read The Day the Goose Got Loose, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to the child. Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What is happening in this picture? How did the goose get loose?
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What is this? (It is a rooster.) What are the little chicks doing? (The little chicks are crying.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects and actions the child brings up, too.
• You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Building Literacy

• Help the child name all the animals in the book. Which animals has the child seen? Together, you might look in other books and compare pictures of the animals.