GEMMA & GUS

Gosling siblings explore their world in this latest offering from Dunrea’s Gossie & Friends series.

A small trim size and generous use of white space lend a quiet intimacy to the series’ simple barnyard stories. In this title, Gus (who sports a pot on his head, its handle sticking out like a visor), trails along behind his sister Gemma. She holds a pair of binoculars and wears a pith helmet, but it’s quickly apparent that she doesn’t want to lead Gus around on her adventures. “Don’t keep following me!” she honks. Expert use of the gutter isolates the tiny Gus on the recto while Gemma looms above him from her superior position atop the dog Molly’s head on the verso. The intrepid Gus is unfazed by his sister’s outburst and carries on by himself. Lo and behold, Gemma ends up following him around, her curiosity piqued by his activities. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” she demands. “EXPLORING!” he honks in reply. A name now given to her own penchant for wandering about and observing the world around her, Gemma happily joins her brother, and a concluding image shows them both intently gazing at a little bat hanging above them.

A just plain ducky addition to this excellent picture-book series.