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The Serious Goose


The Serious Goose
Written and illustrated by Jimmy Kimmel
Random House, 2019. Picture book.

In the same vein as the pigeon books, Kimmel brings us a jaunty story about a goose that absolutely will not smile. Seriously. No matter what you do, this goose is way too serious to smile. After many failed attempts and examples by the narrator, readers are tasked with making the goose smile themselves, and are given a set of silly ideas that the narrator is absolutely certain won't work.

Kimmel makes the most of his illustrating abilities, aiming not for artistic perfection, but instead for simple yet effective drawings that pair well with the bold text. If you're looking for a great book to read aloud to a group of children, pick this up and let them do their very best to make this very serious goose smile.

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