THE SILLY GOOSES

Just as the title says—a silly story about silly geese. First there is one silly goose—Mr. Goose is a jokester, a cut- up, who floats around the pond on an inner tube, nests on a bean bag, and thereby raises the hackles of his staid flock. ``You had better stop being so silly, or you will never find a wife!'' they scold. Another silly goose falls out of the sky—the wife—and life gets even sillier. When they have goslings Ketchup and Mustard, the rest of the stodgy flock take flight. The four silly geese have a zany old time, putting ketchup on their sundaes and rigging balloons to their bean bag so as to float above the pond. Pilkey (The Adventures of Captain Underpants, p. 878, etc.) keeps the text simple and corny, the illustrations—boldly colored and full of cartoonish lines and strokes—unpretentious and effective, and thereby guarantees that children will be dissolved in giggles. Pair it with any of Harry Allard's books about the Stupids for a properly goofy story hour. (Picture book. 4-8)