The Golden Goose

by Dick King-Smith, Ann Kronheimer (Illustrator), Andrew Sachs (Read by)

Overview

Farmer Skint and his family have fallen on hard times at Woebegone Farm until their goose lays a golden egg. With the birth of Joy the Golden Goose, the fortune of the Skint family begins to change. But what will happen when people find out about their golden-feathered friend? How long can they keep Joy a secret?

From beloved author Dick King-Smith comes the heartwarming story of a magical golden goose perfect for beginning readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781486247462
Publisher:	Bolinda Audio
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 6.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Dick King-Smith is the beloved author of Babe: The Gallant Pig, Titus Rules!, and Funny Frank. He turned 80 in 2003 and lives in a 17th-century cottage in Bristol, England, where he continues to write books for young readers.

Editorial Reviews

King-Smith (Babe: The Gallant Pig) shapes a taut, tidy tale of a down-and-out farmer whose luck changes dramatically after his goose lays a golden egg. As the novel opens, the author paints a drolly dim portrait of life at Woebegone Farm, where it always rained at harvest time, and Farmer John Skint's "cows often got foul-in-the-foot,... and his chickens were always being eaten by foxes." Alas, the impoverished fellow is forced to sell all his animals except for a goose and a gander called Sorrow and Misery-and he fears the family will have to eat them or starve. Yet, the two soon hatch a golden gosling, and life becomes jolly indeed (the farmer names it Joy). Stroking the feathered newborn, the farmer and his wife swell with happiness and their worries disappear. In quick succession, the family's luck turns: Skint wins the lottery and places a big bet on "John's Joy," a long-shot contender that places first in a horse race. After a famous naturalist learns of Joy's existence, he shares with the farmer an ancient Roman legend that offers a clue to the golden gosling's pending fate. The novel's breezy premise, Kronheimer's simple and appealing halftone illustrations, the text's relatively large typeface and brief chapters make this perhaps best suited to those just embarking on chapter books, but reluctant readers will also take a fancy to it. And all will be tickled by the uplifting conclusion that caps this engaging story. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A failing farmer's fortune changes when Joy, literally, comes into his life. Hatched to a pair of seemingly ordinary geese named Misery and Sorrow, the golden-yellow gosling quickly earns her uplifting moniker, for not only do Farmer Skint and his family get an immediate rush of pleasure from petting her, but suddenly money starts rolling in from lottery and race-track winnings. In no time, the Skints, and their Woebegone Farm, are back in business. Kronheimer's relaxed pen-and-ink drawings depict a smiling young rural family and a small but self-confident-looking goose who takes up residence in the farmhouse until it's time to lay eggs (golden ones, to be sure) of her own. Aside from a fox's brief and fatal walk-on, there isn't much tension in the plot, but readers in search of farmyard tales featuring naturalistically rendered animals, good-hearted humans, hints of magic and, for good measure, a whiff of metaphor, will come away happy. (Fiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews