Kathleen Odean (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2005 (Vol. 102, No. 4))
When a local witch sees the boy Howard stealing eggs from the geese that she tends, she decides that he needs a lesson--and she changes him, fittingly, into a goose. Correctly discerning that Howard rarely thinks of others, the witch refuses to return him to human form until he has done three good deeds. Howard's learning to be a goose is almost a full-time job, and it comes with unexpected, occasionally poignant setbacks, such as when his friends don't recognize him. Of course, Howard fumes, frets, and schemes to get around the curse, but he eventually stumbles into a good deed and feels the pleasure of doing right, if only briefly. Although Howard doesn't change dramatically, by the close of his uncomfortable lesson he has begun to think more about those around him--both the human and the feathered kind. With well-spaced print, plenty of dialogue, a strong dose of humor, and more invention than many books written at this level, this goose tale is a nicely accomplished, entertaining read, with strong potential for reading aloud to younger children. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2005, Harcourt, $16. Gr. 3-5.

Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Howard and his friends spend their afternoons taunting an old witch, teasing other children, and breaking goose eggs around Dumphrey’s Mill. One day the witch curses Howard, turning him into a goose. Will Howard survive as a goose? Will Howard ever be a boy again? The witch promises Howard that if he performs three good deeds, he will return to human form. In his transformed body, Howard discovers empathy, kindness, and the ability to care about others. But when the witch suddenly dies, Howard’s hopes vanish. Will he always be a goose? Will he never see his parents again? In this charming book, Velde provides a convincing character in Howard, who changes from a mischievous boy into a goose with a sense of character and wisdom beyond his years. 2005, Harcourt, $16.00. Ages 8 to 12.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2006)
A thoughtless act of mischief—stealing goose eggs, which are broken in the process—lands Howard in the bad graces of a local witch. Deciding to teach him a much-needed lesson, the witch turns Howard into a goose, a spell that will only be reversed when he has performed three good deeds. Howard soon discovers that his new life in the goose community is not easy, especially for one inexperienced in the ways of waterfowl. While learning how to survive as a goose, Howard learns about kindness, too, and, almost despite himself, starts to check off his required good deeds. Howard’s plight is cleverly resolved, and the chronicle of his stint in goose-dom makes this humorous novel an ideal classroom read-aloud. CCBC Category: Fiction for Children. 2005, Harcourt, 147 pages, $16.00. Ages 8-12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 18))
Village children call the old lady living by the pond a witch, and the moniker turns out to be dead on, as young Howard discovers when she catches him trying to steal goose eggs. Suddenly, he's transformed into a goose himself-doomed to stay that way until he performs three good deeds. That turns out to be not so easy as he supposes: Not only is he regarded with suspicion by the pond's other feathered residents, and as potential dinner by his former friends and neighbors, but, as he learns, even brave deeds like battling an egg-eating rat don't count if they're motivated by self-interest. Like Donna Jo Napoli's classic Prince of the Pond (1992), this is as much about inner change as outer. Having gone through sometimes-hilarious struggles getting used to his new body and social standing, Howard ultimately learns how to do good selflessly, and walks away in the end a relieved and wiser lad. Another funny and thought-provoking tale in folkloric dress from Vande Velde. 2005, Harcourt, 160p, $16.00. Category: Fantasy. Ages 9 to 11. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Betsy Ruffin (Library Media Connection, March 2006)
Humor, magic, likeable characters, and some good lessons along the way all contribute to make this a very appealing book. Set in the past of wooden wheel mills, the book's main character, a boy named Howard, does his share of troublemaking, though none is particularly vicious. When he steals goose eggs from a nest by the pond, he is rebuked by the old woman who cares for the birds. She is a witch who turns Howard into a goose until he can do three good deeds. Spending time in bird form before three acceptable deeds are done, he learns about the geese and the woman the children had teased for so long. His final good deed is to help her after she dies. The spell is fulfilled at that time and Howard is a boy again, with a somewhat different outlook on life. The book is humorous but with a good point about how actions truly affect others. The style is light with enough action to keep readers interested. Though the setting is in the past, this is not a big part of the book and the characters are relevant to today. Howard's adventures should leave the reader with a smile and a thought, and perhaps even a few facts about geese along the way. Recommended. 2005, Harcourt, 160pp., $16 hc. Ages 8 to 12.

April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2005 (Vol. 59, No. 3))
Howard did not expect to find himself transformed into a goose, honking his indignation to the town’s eccentric old woman. She, however, turned out to be every bit the old witch she’s labeled, and, after catching Howard attempting to steal eggs, she cursed him with a spell that cannot be broken until Howard performs three good deeds. Faced with molting feathers, wary geese neighbors who find him a pretty stupid goose, and family and friends who want to cook him, Howard must use his creativity to find good deeds that need doing. In addition to this challenging quest, the book offers ample discussion of bathroom habits, silly humor about macho posturing and wet bottoms, and a healthy dose of trivia about geese behavior that will make this an appealing choice for middle-grade readers. The action is immediate, and readers won’t have long to wait to see Howard get his due--he is a goose by page ten, and he does not regain his decidedly less interesting human form until the last few pages. This novel focuses more on the genuinely fascinating behaviors of fowl than the actions of hominids, though a discerning reader may find that geese traits such as cruelty, ostracism of outsiders, selfishness, and short-sightedness are paralleled in human lives. Ultimately, this is a book about empathy (Howard learns that everyone is lonely and vulnerable to some degree), and Vande Velde handles this sophisticated concept subtly and effectively by letting the geese do most of the teaching. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Harcourt, 160p, $16.00. Grades 3-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2006)
In this lightweight, enjoyable transformation tale, a witch turns Howard into a miserable goose with no survival skills; he must perform three good deeds to return to human form. With his limited, one-word vocabulary ("honk!"), the good-deed-doing is a challenge. And given that Howard the goose is really the same old selfish Howard the boy, the challenge is nearly impossible. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2005, Harcourt, 147pp, 16.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Lou Underwood (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 18, No. 3))
Howard is a somewhat average boy. He seems no better or no worse than anyone else in Dumphrey’s Mill. All the kids in town make fun of the old lady that they call a witch. All the kids go down to the pond by her house and bother the geese. However, Howard discovers that she really is a witch when she catches him stealing a goose egg and turns him into a goose for punishment. In order to be turned back into a boy, Howard must perform three good deeds. Before Howard the goose can find occasion to perform these good deeds, he learns some life lessons in putting himself in someone else’s place. This is a good story for a character lesson and the idea of thinking how someone else might feel. While the reader might predict that Howard will, of course, be turned back into a boy, the ending is abrupt and leaves Howard alone at the pond. This ending makes for a great opportunity for creative thinking and a writing project. Students can discuss how Howard explains his lengthy disappearance. Also in question is how Howard might treat others now that he has had this experience and if he would persuade his friends to change the way they treat others. Fiction. Grades 3-6. 2005, Harcourt, 147p., $16.00. Ages 8 to 12.