At first glance, Kerr's (When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit) heroine seems to be just another earnestly dimwitted and excitable goose. But with calm, unadorned prose, smooth pacing and the genial realism of her modest colored-pencil drawings, Kerr makes Katerina more than the butt of a joke. Yearning for a companion to share life in the town's pond, Katerina believes that the reflection she sees in a shiny car is actually the "other" goose of the title: "One day that goose will come out," thinks Katerina. "Then I'll no longer be the only goose on the pond." But a snowfall that comes between Katerina and the reflection makes her think that her beloved has escaped! The sight of a man carrying "a goose-sized thing in [a] goose-sized bag" convinces Katerina that her soulmate is the victim of a goose-napping, and she single-mindedly pursues the perceived culprit. In the end, not only does justice prevail—Katerina foils a bank robber—but true love does, too: as a reward for her bravery, the town acquires a dashing gander named Charlie. The story gains from the English village setting (the mayor appears in a ceremonial robe) and from the supporting role awarded a girl—shown admiring her own reflection on the car's surface, she is the only one who understands what Katerina really wants. This confidently unhurried story should evoke sighs of contentment from the audience. Ages 4-8. (June)
