Synopses & Reviews
Gooney Bird Greene knows exactly where she likes to be: and#147;right smack in the middle of everything.and#8221; Sure enough, her colorful fashion sense, exuberant personality, and and#147;absolutely trueand#8221; stories land her at the center of attention most of the time, but as Mrs. Pidgeonand#8217;s second grade class prepares for their Thanksgiving pageant, the lead role of Squanto is still up for grabs. And so is the role of Room Mother, but with each of the childrenand#8217;s parents already overloaded, there are no volunteers to bring cupcakes to their play. So Gooney Bird promises to find oneand#151;in exchange for the lead. Thereand#8217;s just one catch: the person she convinces to be Room Mother insists on remaining incognito. As the class struggles to decorate the mural, make costumes, and learn their songs for the play, the suspense builds: will the pageant be a success? And who is their mysterious Room Mother?
Two-time Newbery Awardand#150;winning author Lois Lowry has once again captured the eager energy of an elementary school classroom and the hilarious antics and anecdotes of its students, especially those of the irrepressible Gooney Bird Greene herself. In her second literary appearance, Gooney Bird is back with more and#147;absolutely trueand#8221; stories to tell, more tips for her fellow aspiring storytellers, and a few challenging vocabulary words to share, too.
Review
andquot;The story unfolds with fresh humor that keeps readers interested. Thomasandrsquo;s pencil drawings bring life to the characters. A fine selection for beginning chapter-book readers and as a read-aloud.andquot;--School Library Journal
andquot;Thomasandrsquo;s illustrations help the new reader see the final andldquo;poemandrdquo; and imagine Mrs. Pidgeonandrsquo;s reaction to their heartfelt offering of sadness for their teacher. Few books for early readers address such a difficult issue, but Lowryandrsquo;s capable storytelling does it with graceandmdash;much like Mrs. Pidgeon herself.andquot;--Horn Book
andquot;Few beginning chapter books have the range of this one, from hilarity to sadness, from outrage to compassion, and few writers could manage it with such finesse. Often amusing and sometimes subtly instructive, the fourth book in the Gooney Bird Greene series is well suited to reading aloud.andquot;--Booklist
Review
"Writing for a younger audience than usual, Lowry displays a keen understanding of how second-grade classrooms operate." Horn Book
"Lowryand#8217;s masterful writing style reaches directly into her audience, managing both to appeal to young listeners and to engage readers." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Veteran author Lowry produces a laugh-out-loud chapter book." Booklist, ALA
"and#8230;irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in childrenand#8217;s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite." Kirkus Reviews
Review
[Gooney's] eccentric outfits and words of wisdom are peppered throughout to keep the story moving along while Thomas's characteristic black-and-white illustrations provide nice visuals. Full of new vocabulary words and information about fables . . . a must for Gooney Bird fans.
School Library Journal
Lowry nicely individualizes her characters and gets readers interested in their problems.
Booklist, ALA
If Aesop met Gooney Bird Greene, what would result? Fabulous fables, of course. . . . Gooney's outlandish outfits, take-charge (even bossy) attitude and boisterous spirit continue to be humorously likable--and fabulous. No doubt there'll be a fourth; meanwhile, this one offers a clever writing exercise for a class.
Kirkus Reviews
"The irrepressible Gooney Bird Green returns to entertain youngsters." Dallas Morning News 7/1/07 Dallas Morning News
Review
"Larger than life and with a heart as big as her personality, Gooney Bird Greene will elicit gales of laughter, along with sighs of appreciation, from Suzy Kline and Junie B. Jones fansand#151;as well as their parentsand#151;in this second winning, tongue-in-cheek outing." and#151;Kirkus Reviews, starred Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"This is a fast-paced read, with Thomasand#8217;s black-and-white drawings highlighting key moments. This sequel stands on its own, but readers may want to go back and learn how unique Gooney Bird Greene became a part of this classroom." School Library Journal
"The lively hero of the chapter book Gooney Bird Greene (2002) is back in her idyllic second-grade classroom, as the children get ready to celebrate a pageant of the First Thanksgiving." --Booklist Booklist, ALA
Synopsis
In the fourth book in Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene series, second grader Gooney Bird is learning how to write poems in school.and#160;When the class gets some sad news about their teacher, it's Gooney Bird who organizes a class poem to show Mrs. Pigeon they are thinking of her. and#160;
Synopsis
The fourth hilarious title in Lowis Lowryand#39;s popular Gooney Bird series!
Itandrsquo;s a cold January at the Watertower Elementary Schoolandmdash;the perfect weather for Gooney Bird Greene to break out her special brain-warming hat! Itand#39;s a good thing she has one. Gooney Birdand#39;s brain will need to be as warm as possible this month, because Mrs. Pidgeon is teaching her class about poetry. Who knew there could be so many different ways to write a poem? Haikus, couplets, limericksandmdash;Mrs. Pidgeonandrsquo;s students soon find that writing good poetry takes a lot of hard work and creative thinking. Gooney Bird and her classmates are up to the challenge. But just when things are going well, the kids get some terrible news. Gooney Bird will need all the inspiration her brain can muster to organize the most important poem the class has ever written.
Synopsis
and#8220;Few beginning chapter books have the range of this one, from hilarity to sadness, from outrage to compassion, and few writers could manage it with such finesse.and#8221; and#8211;
Booklist Itand#8217;s a cold January at Watertower Elementary Schooland#8212;the ideal weather for second grader Gooney Bird Greene to break out her brain-warming hat. Mrs. Pidgeon is teaching poetryand#8212;from haiku to limericks. So when tragedy befalls their teacher, her students are prepared to write the most important poem theyand#8217;ve ever written. Thomasand#8217;s expressive drawings bring the characters to life in this funny, emotionally nuanced beginning chapter book. Brain-warmingand#8230; and heartwarming, too!
Synopsis
From the moment Gooney Bird Greene arrives at Watertower Elementary School, her fellow second-graders are intrigued by her unique sense of style and her unusual lunches. So when story time arrives, the choice is unanimous: they want to hear about Gooney Bird Greene. And that suits her just fine, because, as it turns out, Gooney Bird has quite a few interesting and and#8220;absolutely trueand#8221; stories to tell.
Through Gooney Bird and her tales, acclaimed author Lois Lowry introduces young readers to the concepts and elements of storytelling. By demonstrating some of the simple techniques that reveal the extraordinary in everyday events, this book will encourage the storyteller in everyone.
Synopsis
Mrs. Pidgeon has been reading Aesopand#8217;s fables to her second grade class. Whatand#8217;s a fable? Well, itand#8217;s a story that has animals as characters, and it teaches you something important, and . . . Once again it is Gooney Bird Greene who knows how to turn lessons into fun. She has an idea. A fabulous idea! What if each child creates his or her own fable, and tells it to the class? One by one Mrs. Pidgeonand#8217;s students create costumes and stories and morals and excitement. Everyone except Nicholas. What on earth is making Nicholas so unhappy? Leave it to Gooney Bird, of course, to help him solve his problem . . . in a truly fabulous way.
About the Author
Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Readerand#8217;s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Associationand#8217;s Childrenand#8217;s Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com