The Horn Book Guide

YOUNGER FICTION

Lowry, Lois

Gooney Bird Greene

88 pp. | Houghton/Lorraine | September, 2002 | Trade ISBN 0-618-23848-4 $$15.00

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Middy Thomas. Gooney Bird Green, a self-possessed second grader, captivates her new classmates with "absolutely true" tales of how she acquired her unusual name, traveled on a flying carpet, and directed a symphony orchestra. Though somewhat overdrawn as a character, Gooney Bird is a fine storyteller, and her message to her classmates--that they, too, have stories to share--is a good one. The text is accompanied by banal illustrations.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002