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Gooney Bird Greene (2004)

Gooney Bird Greene (2004)

Book Info

Author
Rating
2.95 of 5 Votes: 2
Your rating
ISBN
0440419603 (ISBN13: 9780440419600)
Language
English
Publisher
yearling

About book Gooney Bird Greene (2004)

Gooney Bird Greene is an adorable story about the new girl in school who quickly wins over every one. Gooney isn't your average second grader, she is a very eccentric dresser and she has some of the most outlandish tales the children and teacher have ever heard, although she insists they are real ("I tell only absolutely true stories!"). As the class starts to learn about what makes a good story they all volunter Gooney Bird as the character because everyone is so intrigued by her. Gooney Bird, happy to oblige, spends the next week telling one story a day. It quickly becomes everyone's favorite part of the day. She doesn't want to steal the limelight indefinitely though. When she runs out of stories, she convinces her classmates that they all have fun stories to tell and helps them figure out just what those stories are. Overall, this book is a little goofy and a lot of fun. I can see why small children would get a kick out of reading about a character like Gooney Bird Greene. She's inventive, eccentric, and a fantastic storyteller (with tales like, "How Gooney Bird Came from China on a Flying Carpet" or "Beloved Catman is Consumed by a Cow").This book would be a lot of fun read aloud and I think children up through fourth and fifth grade would even enjoy this book. The School Library Journal writes, "The cleverly titled stories could spark children's interest in writing their own stories." It's not my favorite book that I've read this semester, but I can see where children would thoroughly enjoy this book (and the pictures!).

TransitionalThis is a story about an interesting elementary school student name Gooney Bird Greene. Gooney is not your ordinary student, she is very confident in herself and loves to be the center of attention. She begins school a month after it has started. As if that isn't enough, she wears pajamas and cowboy boots on her first day at school. She then requests a seat in the middle of the classroom because she likes to be" smack dab in the middle of things." To elaborate on her big personality, Gooney Bird Greene is also a magnificent story teller. In fact, the teacher lets her get up in front of the class because her stories are so good. Peers want to hear her stories and they ask for them everyday because they know they will go on an adventure with her. The illustrations in the book are very bright and playful just like Gooney. Each illustration is laden with beautiful colors such as pinks, greens reds, blues, and tans. The illustrations also show the actions of Gooney Bird Greene. For example, when she is telling her stories she is waving her hands and showing movement in the illustrations. This is a fun read.

Do You like book Gooney Bird Greene (2004)?

An eccentrically-dressed and apparently over-imaginative second grade girl, Gooney Bird, comes to a new school and entrances the other students (and teacher) with her surprising, “absolutely true” stories. With her deliberate, exact way of speaking and unusual phrasing, she describes her stories before telling them in ways that make it seem as though they’ll be tall tales – but there is always a humorous, prosaic explanation. For example, “I was in jail when this happened” actually refers to Gooney Bird playing Monopoly and having landed on that square on the board; and getting a reward from “the prince” at “the palace” turns out to mean something quite different, though similar-sounding. The same goes for “driving from China” and “arriving on a flying carpet.”It’s a humorous, very brief book that also serves as instruction to children on how to formulate interesting stories, as well as to encourage them to believe that everyone has a story to tell. I enjoyed the clever twists of language that revealed what Gooney Bird’s stories were really about, as well as the demonstration of how well “write what you know” can go when served by expressive language. I did not at all like Gooney Bird’s personality, which is smug and self-satisfied, her too-adult speech patterns, or how she is portrayed as more clever and authoritative than the teacher of the class. I think that’s a terrible example for kids who already often think they know more than they do.
—Ensiform

There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. What other new kid comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots one day and a polka-dot t-shirt and tutu on another? Gooney Bird has to sit right smack in the middle of the class because she likes to be in the middle of everything. She is the star of story time and keeps her teacher and classmates on the edge of their seats with her “absolutely true” stories. But what about her classmates? Do they have stories good enough to share?
—Christy

Gooney Bird Greene is a new student at Watertower Elementary, who comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots, among many other interesting clothes the following days. From her first day of school, she always wants to be the center of attention; whether that is wearing unique clothes or sitting in the middle of the classroom. When her teacher allows students to tell a story, Gooney is able to keep the classroom on their seats with her "absolutely true" stories, even though they seem anything but true. Gooney is able to extend the facts with her wordplay which creates a very intriguing story time. Low and behold, the stories unfold when her audience finally grasps what she is talking about in her stories. I thought this book was very imaginative and fun to read. I would definitely read this to a variety of ages (first grade all the way to fourth graders). The children can relate to this book because it is set in an elementary school inside a second grade classroom. I also loved the illustrations because of the cartoon style that is drawn throughout the book. It helps give the story a humorous vibe which made me laugh and would definitely give younger students a chuckle.
—Barrett

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