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My Goose Betsy

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A gaggle of fun facts about geese and barnyard life are presented in a fun and amusing little tale about a goose named Betsy, who hatches her eggs and teaches her goslings about being a goose.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 1999

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Trudi Braun

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5 stars
7 (14%)
4 stars
14 (29%)
3 stars
22 (46%)
2 stars
4 (8%)
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0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Keith.
14 reviews2 followers
April 15, 2012
Let me get right to the point. If there is a penguin and a polar bear in the same scene, there had better be a good reason--even in the picture books I read to my two-year old daughter. I find such glaring inaccuracies hard to shake and, often, it is these books that will get returned to the library sooner than later. So, I am always happy to find non-fiction, picture books that lean in my direction: the facts presented with style. Thus, I was happy to find My Goose Betsy.

Braun does well describing a goose--how they walk and talk, but the focus here is on nest building, laying eggs, and hatching. The illustrations are warm and serve to show the intimacy of a cozy nest. Betsy is shown picking straw and plucking down feather from her own breast. She shuffles her bottom to make a hollow in which to lay her eggs. The eggs are laid, not appearing all at once but each addition is afforded a pause and new drawing. The goslings, as well, don't pop right out of their shells. Instead, Braun has them tap and push, tap and push until they are out in the glow of the goose house. More goes on of course. Betsy does get out to stretch and bathe. There is a gander that runs about too, and a quiet spider that builds a web along side Betsy.

Braun also gives "goose facts" in the back and includes an index of important terms.

At first, I wondered if the book was too old for my daughter, but just this morning, she was talking as she gathered pillows and blankets. My wife asked her what she was doing and we were told she was building a nest like Betsy.
Profile Image for Bluff Lake.
5 reviews
April 18, 2012
Let me get right to the point. If there is a penguin and a polar bear in the same scene, there had better be a good reason--even in the picture books I read to my two-year old daughter. I find such glaring inaccuracies hard to shake and, often, it is these books that will get returned to the library sooner than later. So, I am always happy to find non-fiction, picture books that lean in my direction: the facts presented with style. Thus, I was happy to find My Goose Betsy.

Braun does well describing a goose--how they walk and talk, but the focus here is on nest building, laying eggs, and hatching. The illustrations are warm and serve to show the intimacy of a cozy nest. Betsy is shown picking straw and plucking down feather from her own breast. She shuffles her bottom to make a hollow in which to lay her eggs. The eggs are laid, not appearing all at once but each addition is afforded a pause and new drawing. The goslings, as well, don't pop right out of their shells. Instead, Braun has them tap and push, tap and push until they are out in the glow of the goose house. More goes on of course. Betsy does get out to stretch and bathe. There is a gander that runs about too, and a quiet spider that builds a web along side Betsy.

Braun also gives "goose facts" in the back and includes an index of important terms.

At first, I wondered if the book was too old for my daughter, but just this morning, she was talking as she gathered pillows and blankets. My wife asked her what she was doing and we were told she was building a nest like Betsy.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,111 reviews52 followers
September 18, 2012
We watch Betsy the goose prepare for a family of goslings: making the nest, laying the eggs, and tending to them while they grow inside the eggs. Maybe this would be a good way to introduce the concept of a narrative nonfiction book? Betsy is a character, but the story is all facts. It even includes an index!
1,131 reviews21 followers
December 11, 2011
A nonfiction book about geese disguised as a fiction book. I didn't know that geese layed their eggs at a rate of one every two days until the nest is full, and then they sit on them. Seems an odd kind of strategy.
100 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2012
I like how this book has facts embedded in the story
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews