Sylvia Firth (Children's Literature)
In this third book about second grader Gooney Bird Greene, the class has been listening while their teacher, Mrs. Pidgeon reads fables by Aesop. Naturally, Gooney comes up with a fantastic idea to have the children write their very own fables and present them to the class. So begins an exciting time of writing, determining morals and putting together costumes. The children are wholeheartedly participating. But Nicholas is most unhappy and does not want to be part of the activities. Quirky Gooney (who comes to class wearing outlandish outfits) manages to save the day with her creative solution to form a partnership with Nicholas and make a joint presentation to the class. The black and white illustrations cleverly and realistically portray the children and their situations. However, the text is not always compatible with the pictures, and may prove disconcerting to the reader. Hopefully this will be corrected in the final version of the book. Newly independent readers are sure to enjoy this highly entertaining and accurate account of their school activities. 2007, Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin, $ 15.00. Ages 7 to 9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 7))
If Aesop met Gooney Bird Greene, what would result? Fabulous fables, of course. In her third appearance, Gooney Bird instigates a fun class project when her second-grade teacher reads them Aesop's fables. Each student chooses an animal whose name begins with the first letter of his or her first name and then writes a fable about it. Personalities are revealed in each report along with home experiences and insecurities: Malcolm has baby triplets at home and repeats everything three times; Tyrone raps; Felicia Ann lisps. A black-and-white drawing in each of the 13 chapters offers bits of visual interest. Gooney's outlandish outfits, take-charge (even bossy) attitude and boisterous spirit continue to be humorously likable—and fabulous. No doubt there'll be a fourth; meanwhile, this one offers a clever writing exercise for a class. 2007, Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin, 96p, $15.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 7 to 10. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carol Gearhart (Kutztown Book Review, Spring 2008)
Another title in the Gooney Bird Green series that is suitable for 2nd and 3rd graders. Mrs. Pidgeon has been reading Aesop fables to her 2nd grade class. Gooney Bird gets a fabulous idea. What if each child creates his or her own fable and tells it to the class? The fable must have an animal in it that begins with the same letter as the person’s first name. So they create stories and costumes to share with the class and to have a parade around the school. Everyone creates a fable except Nicholas. He can’t think of an animal that begins with an N. Gooney Bird helps him and they write a fable together called The Two Gnus. The moral of the story is “No gnus is good news.” Some of the fables the children write are clever. Gooney Bird is a precocious child and takes over the class more than most teachers would allow. This could inspire a writing assignment after reading the book aloud. Category: Fables. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, $15.00. Ages 7 to 9.

Janie Barron (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 20, No. 3))
Mrs. Pidgeon has been reading Aesop’s fables to her second-grade class. Gooney Bird Greene has an excellent idea--everyone in the class can write his/her own fable featuring an animal whose name starts with the same letter as his/her own name. Everyone is excited except for Nicholas. He can’t think of an animal that begins with N. Gooney Bird comes to the rescue. This is an easy-to-follow chapter book that will appeal to both boys and girls. Fiction. Grades 3-6. 2007, Walter Lorraine Books, 94p., $15.00. Ages 8 to 12.