Gossie and Gertie: Your Preschooler’s New Best Friends

With four kids under eight, I’m always on the lookout for good bedtime stories that hold the interest of all my kids, and I try to have a lot of them, because like all parents of preschoolers I get sick of reading the same books over and over and over again. Gossie and Gossie and Gertie, by Olivier Dunrea, have recently been released as board books.

“Gossie is a gosling. A small yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots. Every day.” So begins Gossie, the first in a series of books about this engaging little gosling. One day Gossie’s beloved red boots go missing, and she will not rest until she finds them. Eventually she does, and discovers a new friend in the process.

In Gossie and Gertie, Gossie and her new friend share a love of boots and playing a game. Most of the time, Gertie follows the lead of Gossie, but then she doesn’t. Gossie learns that sometimes it is good to be the leader, and sometimes it is good to follow someone else’s lead.

Both books have beautiful watercolor and ink artwork, and while each page at first appears to be simplistic, sharp eyed audiences will love searching for the subtle bonuses on each page, typically in the form of an interesting bug.

My kids love these books. They love the artwork, and they love the stories. My three year old has memorized each of them, and her seven year old sister loves to read them to her. If you’re in the market for an alternative to Goodnight, Moon and Guess How Much I Love You, these two little books are sure to delight.

I have recently learned that the other barnyard friends’ books in the series are being released in durable board book format this spring. Keep an eye out for these treasures.