The Golden Goose - Hardcover

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.

Gr. 2-5. Farmer Skint, the hapless proprietor of Woebegone Farm, can't seem to do anything right. He buys high and sells low, his cows get foul-in-the-foot, and foxes are always consuming his chickens. Then his goose hatches a golden egg and life takes a decided upturn. He wins the lottery, a racetrack bet pays off on 50 to 1 odds, and a friendly neighbor decides to make a film documenting Skint's golden goose. King-Smith's fans will appreciate his signature rural setting, full of genial livestock and good-natured incompetents, and those familiar with his autobiography, Chewing the Cud (2002), may even recognize some of King-Smith in Skint. His novel shares some elements with the Aesop and Grimm stories of the same name, but King-Smith keeps things light, eliminating both the greed and moral lessons. This isn't a child-centered story, and a few incidents seem a bit mature for the intended audience (celebrating good fortune with champagne, for example), but this will still be popular with the first-chapter-book crowd. Kay Weisman
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