''Gooney Bird Greene'' (2002) is the first of a series of

children's novels Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet,'' ''Number the Stars'', and '' Rabble Starkey.'' She is known for writing ...

concerning the storytelling abilities of a second-grade girl. It was illustrated by Middy Thomas.

Plot

Gooney Bird Greene has just transferred to Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class in Watertower. She is unusually self-confident, likes to be the center of attention, and has an eccentric flair for style, and an exciting, almost magical past. When Mrs. Pidgeon suggests storytelling lessons, the class demands, instead of well-worn

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

, Gooney Bird as the main character of the story. So begins Gooney Bird's series of autobiographical tales, outlandish in theme but "only absolutely true": "How Gooney Bird Got Her Name","How Gooney Bird Came from China on a Flying Carpet", "The Prince, the Palace, and the Diamond Earrings", "Why Gooney Bird Was Late for School Because She Was Directing a Symphony

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

", and "Beloved Catman Is Consumed by a

Cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

". Along the way, the class learns not just about Gooney Bird, but how to tell a story, and how everyone has a story to tell.

Reception

Reviews of ''Gooney Bird Greene'' were generally positive. Though ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' viewed Gooney Bird's precocious storytelling skills with some skepticism, it wrote that her eccentric behavior and stories were entertaining, particularly to child readers. '' Kirkus Reviews'' praised the book's illustration and design choices, and described the titular second-grader's tales as "clever", noting that the book was a good instrument for teaching writing and storytelling.

References

2002 American novels 2002 children's books American children's novels Books about birds Novels set in elementary and primary schools Novels by Lois Lowry {{2000s-child-novel-stub