Gus

New goslings continue to join the farmyard antics in Dunrea's much-beloved series (begun with Gossie and Gossie Gertie, rev. 1/03). Gemma Gus introduces siblings who like to explore -- Gemma sporting a safari helmet and field glasses; Gus wearing a saucepan on his head, la Johnny Appleseed. Little brother follows big sister everywhere, until she hollers the words known to all younger siblings everywhere: "Don't keep following me!" Accustomed to having company, however, lonely Gemma quickly finds herself in her brother's position, now following him around the farm. In Gus, little brother shows himself to be more independent than his sister. Gus, "who likes to be by himself," quietly observes a spider, some mice, and a turtle. When he discovers that the turtle has left some eggs behind, he does what any self-respecting bird would do: he sits on them. And nothing distracts him -- he moves only when the eggs do, and soon finds that, with three tiny turtle friends, he still likes to be by himself, but only "most of the time." Dunrea's gently amusing, pleasingly repetitive stories and thoroughly beguiling illustrations continue to capture preschooler life in all its variety. jennifer m. brabander (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gus is a welcome addition to the Gossie Friends series.Sporting a cooking pot on his head with its handle turned to the front like a visor, little "Gus is a small yellow gosling who likes to be by himself." He quietly observes the world around him in pen-and-ink-and-gouache illustrations that embrace open white space to achieve focus on the very things that Gus spiesa spider, mice and a turtle. After watching the turtle dig in the sand and then return to the water, Gus goes to investigate the place where the turtle was digging. There, he finds three small eggs, and he decides to sit on them to keep them warm. His patient brooding leads to their hatching, and he is delighted to see the baby turtles emerge. They, in turn, seem to imprint on him: The closing image of Gus with the babies riding on his back and head as he swims across the water amends the statement that Gus is a gosling "who likes to be by himself" to say that this is true "[m]ost of the time." As surely as there's room in the series for Gus, there's room in his contemplative little life for companionship after all. Good to meet you, Gus. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.