Goose and Bear (and Fox too)

Fox Forgets
by Suzanne Bloom

Goose and Bear are back again in their fifth book! As the title suggests, Fox is also back. In this tale, Goose is leaving to go somewhere (a satchel full of books leads the reader to believe to the library). Goose asks Fox to "be sure to tell Bear" that she will "be right back". As you can guess, Fox forgets. Bear wants to look for Goose, but Fox wants to play. They begin by playing Looking for Goose and then move to a game of Checkers. Bear is not concentrating on the game because he continues to search for his friend Goose. Two different times Fox tells Bear she has something to tell him, but each time it is about the game they are playing. Finally Fox remembers the message he is supposed to deliver, right as Goose is returning.

Fox Forgets, like all of the other books in the series [A Splendid Friend Indeed (a 2006 Texas 2x2 Reading List selection), Treasure, What About Bear?, and Oh! What a Surprise!] is beautiful because of its simplicity. The blue background with uncluttered double page spreads with minimal words and bright, colorful details. The inclusion of books in all of her illustrations helps to show the importance of reading and her love of books. I love Bear, Fox, and Goose, and I know children of all ages will be able to relate to their situations and relationship. Highly recommended for preschool and elementary school and home libraries.

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and present with Suzanne Bloom during the 2006 Texas Library Association's Annual Conference. As a member of the Texas 2x2 Reading List Committee we selected Ms. Bloom's book A Splendid Friend Indeed as one of the twenty titles of books for children age two to grade two. We invited her to be a speaker during our session introducing the new reading list to the librarians of Texas. She was a very enthusiastic speaker. We had a wonderful time creating and learning together. Ms. Bloom was the first author invited to speak during these annual sessions. Since then each year an author / illustrator from the current list has been invited to attend and speak about their book, characters, routines, etc. It is a fun tradition I hope continues for many years to come.