The Gumboot Geese

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Fishers and millworkers protect the nest of a female Canada goose along
the Powell River in British Columbia. Later the goslings are transferred
to a stump ranch, and, though they meet other wild geese, they decide to
stay on the farm, where life is comfortable.

This large-format, profusely illustrated book would most likely be read
by students in grades 3 and 4. Unfortunately, the layout of the pages
gives the book a busy, cluttered look.

The story is overwritten, with overly cute noises
(“Buck-buck-bucka”) and sloppy language (“Hen went nuts,”
“beelines,” “grumbled in goose”). Cameron endows Canada geese
with too many human qualities, and has a tendency to be didactic.

The Gumboot Geese may have some local appeal, but more informative and
visually attractive stories of Canada geese are readily available.