The Gooney Bird Collection

Gr 1-3-Lois Lowry's delightful collection includes four chapter books about the precocious second grader: Gooney Bird Greene (2002), Gooney Bird and the Room Mother (2005), Gooney the Fabulous (2007), and Gooney Bird Is So Absurd (2009, all Houghton Mifflin). Each one takes listeners into the school day adventures of Gooney Bird, her teacher Mrs. Pidgeon, and her classmates. The first book introduces Gooney Bird who tells her "absolutely true" stories and shows her new classmates that they have stories to share too. In Gooney Bird and the Room Mother, she introduces the class to the dictionary and manages to find a much needed room mother who prefers to remain incognito (a word the class looks up) until the Thanksgiving pageant. Gooney the Fabulous sends the class into the land of fables. Can Gooney Bird figure out why everyone is excited about the project except Nicholas? The second grade is introduced to poetry forms and writing in Gooney Bird Is So Absurd. Lee Adams does a fine job of voicing all the characters. An enjoyable listen.-Laura Davies, Kenton County Public Library, Independence, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This enjoyable collection of four books (Gooney Bird Greene, Gooney Bird and the Room Mother, Gooney the Fabulous, and Gooney Bird Is So Absurd) starring quirky, mysterious second-grader Gooney Bird Greene is charmingly read by Adams in a pleasantly smoky voice. Reading the lesson-driven, humor-packed classroom tales, Adams creates distinct personalities for Gooney's lovable classmates, including troublemaker Malcolm and shy, lisping Felicia Ann. She allows second-grade teacher Mrs. Pidgeon to exude extreme patience. Most importantly, Adams deftly captures Gooney's larger-than-life personality by employing an effective southern drawl. Young listeners will enjoy this bouncy collection. Grades 2-4. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 1–3—Lois Lowry's delightful collection includes four chapter books about the precocious second grader: Gooney Bird Greene (2002), Gooney Bird and the Room Mother (2005), Gooney the Fabulous (2007), and Gooney Bird Is So Absurd (2009, all Houghton Mifflin). Each one takes listeners into the school day adventures of Gooney Bird, her teacher Mrs. Pidgeon, and her classmates. The first book introduces Gooney Bird who tells her "absolutely true" stories and shows her new classmates that they have stories to share too. In Gooney Bird and the Room Mother, she introduces the class to the dictionary and manages to find a much needed room mother who prefers to remain incognito (a word the class looks up) until the Thanksgiving pageant. Gooney the Fabulous sends the class into the land of fables. Can Gooney Bird figure out why everyone is excited about the project except Nicholas? The second grade is introduced to poetry forms and writing in Gooney Bird Is So Absurd. Lee Adams does a fine job of voicing all the characters. An enjoyable listen.—Laura Davies, Kenton County Public Library, Independence, KY