"When the others went east, Lucy always went west. She never seemed happy to stay with the rest."
Curious and independent, Lucy is a Canadian Goose learning the ropes. Her Mom instructs her and her siblings about the big trek to Texas that will occur when the first frost appears.
Lucy decides to fly alone to Texas, and although she's enjoying the sites and sounds below her, she begins to get cold, tired, hungry, and lonely. She believes she has made a mistake by flying alone.
She hears a honking sound in the distance and then notices the V! It's her friends and family! Lucy then receives a lecture:
"We all get a lift when we fly in a V;
We don't get so tired; we fly easily.
It's all about teamwork; we all stick together,
So we get where we're going, no matter the weather.
We honk at each other to say, 'You can do it!'
When we work as a team, we know we'll get through it.
So let's go to Texas where we all get to rest!
Let's all help each other to each be our best."
These are fine sentiments in theory. For Canadian Geese, it's indeed true: the V encourages one another and the formation decreases wind resistance...making it easier to fly. In fact, the flock can increase its flying range by 71% by flying in the V formation.
If you're looking for a book teaching teamwork (and herd mentality?), Lucy Goose Goes to Texas is for you. The rhymes are solid and engaging (to me, at least), and the illustrations are pretty good. There's also neat facts and websites about Canadian Geese in the back of the book.
My 7 year old son did sit through one reading. I tried to explain some of the fascinating facts to him, but he just didn't seem interested...and hurriedly got up to pursue other things.
Granted, I'm an independent, curious loner/leader type who has been burned by groups and the supposed teamwork mentality so my perspective is obviously tainted. Therefore, you may want to take this review with a grain of salt...
Related Articles
Content copyright © by Janet Boyer. All rights reserved. This review was written by Janet Boyer. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission.
