Publisher Description

Once there was a goose called Katerina…

Katerina was the only goose on her pond, and this made her very sad and rather lonely.
Sometimes she thought she could see another goose in the side of the bank manager, Mr Buswell's shiny car. She would stare and stare at it, hoping that one day that goose would come out and join her on the pond.

"Just look at that silly bird!" said Mr Buswell. But everyone liked Katerina no matter what he said.

One dark Christmas night when everyone was at a party in the square, Katerina woke alone. She went to see the goose in the shiny car, but the goose had gone – had he come out at last? And who was that man with the goose-sized bag coming out of the bank? Was he carrying a goose-sized companion for Katerina? When Katerina stops him to find out, she becomes the local heroine and gains a wonderful reward – life on her pond will never be the same again…

Author Biography

Judith Kerr OBE was born in Berlin. Her family left Germany in 1933 to escape the rising Nazi party, and came to England. She studied at the Central School of Art and later worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Judith married the celebrated screenwriter Nigel Kneale in 1954. She left the BBC to look after their two children, who inspired her first picture book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Published in 1968 and never out of print in the fifty years since, it has become a much-loved classic and perennial bestseller. Her second book was Mog the Forgetful Cat, which was published in 1970 and has also gone on to become a beloved classic, with Mog appearing in a further 17 adventures in the years since. Judith was awarded the Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and in 2019 was named Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards. Judith died in May 2019 at the age of 95, and her stories continue to entertain and delight generations of children.

Promotional

The classic illustrated children's book from the author of The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Kirkus UK Review

Katrina the goose is lonely. She lives in a beautiful village with a lovely pond to swim on, and all the villagers adore her. But there are no other geese for her to play with. Then, one day, she sees another goose in the side of a shiny car, and hopes that at last she has a playmate. But the other goose never comes out of the car. Katrina is determined to solve the mystery of this other goose - but first there is another problem to tackle. Just who is the strange man creeping round the corner of the street? And what has he got in his sack? Unexpectedly, Katrina becomes the village heroine - and heroines always get rewarded, don't they? Judith Kerr is best known for creating that loveable but forgetful cat, Mog, about whom she has written several books. Now Katrina the goose joins Mog as another character who is sure to be adored by children everywhere. This simple but charming tale, beautifully illustrated by the author, deserves to become a children's classic. A delightful book to share with young children, or for beginner readers to enjoy alone. Ages 3-6 (Kirkus UK)

Kirkus US Review

Kerr, author of the beloved Mog books, uses soft, colored pencils and a Mother Goose-meets-The Ugly Duckling story to weave an uneven tale about a lonely goose in search of a mate. As the only goose on the town pond, Katerina wants the other goose-the one she sees reflected in the shiny side of a car-to "come out of the car" and be her friend. When Katerina stops a robbery at the bank, the townspeople reward her; the next day, the shiny car pulls up, the door opens, and Charlie, Katerina's male counterpart, "comes out of the car." The narrative stands on the interplay between text and picture; Kerr's scrawling colored-pencil illustrations complement her text nicely, adding humor where it is lacking. The choice of colored pencils as a medium creates the look of a child's drawings, simple and straightforward. Kerr's dialogue is patchy, at times unoriginal, and yet sometimes wonderfully clever. When Katerina sees the robber carrying a bag, she thinks, "it was a goose-sized bag and there was something in it. There was a goose-sized thing in that goose-sized bag." The logic here follows nicely, as Katerina pieces together the scene and comes to the realization that something is wrong. Yet many of Katerina's actions seem forced, as if placed strategically to arrive at the final "wink" in the story-the "coming out of the car" play on words. While young and old audiences alike will get a kick out of this joke, the wordplay alone does not hold up as the backbone of the work. New readers will be able to "read" the pictures, without ever knowing a word. (Picture book. 4-8) (Kirkus Reviews)

Long Description

There once was a goose called Katerina. Everybody liked her. But she was sad because she was the only goose on her pond.Sometimes Katerina thought she could see another goose in the side of a shiny car. She'd stare and stare at the other goose and think, "One day that goose will come out. Then I'll no longer be the only goose on the pond."And suddenly one day ... it did!

Promotional "Headline"

The classic illustrated children's book from the author of The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Feature

The classic illustrated children's book from the author of The Tiger Who Came To Tea * This new story from Judith Kerr is has at its centre an endearingly independent goose. Told with characteristic skill and gentle humour, children will immediately warm to the lonely goose and applaud her spirit and heroism. * Judith Kerr's books about Mog, the loveable but bothersome cat, have entertained countless children for thirty years and sold close to 3 million copies worldwide. * The Tiger Who Came to Tea, arguably one of the best books ever written for children has now sold over 2 million copies. * Katerina follows very much in the Tiger's footsteps and will undoubtedly garner similar critical and commercial success.

Description for Sales People

Once there was a goose called Katerina... Katerina was the only goose on her pond, and this made her very sad and rather lonely. Sometimes she thought she could see another goose in the side of the bank manager, Mr Buswell's shiny car. She would stare and stare at it, hoping that one day that goose would come out and join her on the pond. "Just look at that silly bird!" said Mr Buswell. But everyone liked Katerina no matter what he said. One dark Christmas night when everyone was at a party in the square, Katerina woke alone. She went to see the goose in the shiny car, but the goose had gone - had he come out at last? And who was that man with the goose-sized bag coming out of the bank? Was he carrying a goose-sized companion for Katerina? When Katerina stops him to find out, she becomes the local heroine and gains a wonderful reward - life on her pond will never be the same again... Lead title * This new story from Judith Kerr is has at its centre an endearingly independent goose. Told with characteristic skill and gentle humour, children will immediately warm to the lonely goose and applaud her spirit and heroism. * Judith Kerr's books about Mog, the loveable but bothersome cat, have entertained countless children for thirty years and sold close to 3 million copies worldwide. * The Tiger Who Came to Tea, arguably one of the best books ever written for children has now sold over 2 million copies. * Katerina follows very much in the Tiger's footsteps and will undoubtedly garner similar critical and commercial success.

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