Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Middy Thomas

When Gooney Bird Green steps into Mrs. Pidgeon's 2nd grade class at Watertower Elementary School, no one knows quite what to think. In her eclectic ensemble of pajamas & cowboy boots and request for sitting in the middle of the room because she likes to be in the center of attention, the class had no idea what a special asset Gooney Bird would be to that class.

The class was learning about stories. They were having a little trouble grasping the concept, and the Mrs. Pidgeon was going to model the task by having the class construct a story together. The class chose Gooney Bird to be a character because they wanted to find out more about her.

So, much to her pleasure, Gooney tells story after story each day! Stories about how she got her name, how she came to Watertown from China on a flying carpet...even stories about her cat!

What I Thought:
Lowry has done an amazing job weaving in storytelling teaching into this story through Gooney Bird and her amazing stories. She is such a fun and interesting character, readers want to find out more and more!

This would be a perfect book to read aloud to students learning about storytelling as the book will surely inspire other to create their own stories, just as Gooney Bird inspired her class to do the same.

Highly Recommended.

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Middy Thomas.

Reviewed from a library copy.

There are other books about Gooney Bird Green! Check out my review of Gooney Bird is So Absurd and Gooney the Fabulous.