Emmy the Goose: How the V is Formed
By: James Hayhurst / Narrated By: Jill Smith
Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
Didn’t pack the wallop for me, but it just miiiiiight be quite the thing for the kiddos
FIRST!!!! This is NOT Jill Smith of the Jill Smith of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries! I thought it was, so imagine my surprise (And consternation cuz I was sooooo hoping!) to hear a TOTally young American accent with kinda screechy overtones. Okay okay, maybe I’m being a trifle harsh cuz o’ my disappointment, but still: When one is expecting a smooooooth mellifluous voice with the cultured British accent one is used to… it ALL can seem QUITE jarring to one… I mean, when I settled down and got into the story, I got over m’ danged self and gave this Smith a proper listen, without muuuuuch whining and moaning, and she did well… but still…
Okay, does THAT do it for narrator review? Hmmmm, probably not the most gracious so lemme just add that she really did a decent job with what she had to work with. There’s quite a bit on loss and grief in this story, but if I didn’t shed a tear, it wasn’t her fault: THIS Smith put a proper amount of, if not true emotion then a bang-up attempt at it. So, jolly okay then.
The story begins with the birth of precocious gosling Emmy Windsong of the Windsong Pond. She’s one of five born out of six eggs (Mom tells her that five out of six is a pretty good showing for a year), and she appears to be the brightest of the bunch, willing to engage with nature and its inhabitants more so than her siblings. Tho’ her itty bitty sister does do some daredevil things, and Emmy is more measured, it’s Emmy who seeks the company of a friendly spider, all four of the Man’s cats, and a very majestic indeed tree named Majesty. She’s also become friends with survivors of another Pond, Libby and Wilbur Pinfeather, and it’s through these two that she shows her love and joy and protectiveness for Life.
Bad things happen, good things happen, blah blah blah…. I don’t mean that cuz I’m just being rude, it’s just that this is a verrrrrry short audiobook that crams a LOT into very little. It’s supposed to be meant for youngsters not we large lummoxes who call ourselves grownups, so it’ll probably resonate with the kiddos better than with anyone else. Cuz really, author James Hayhurst tackles biology, nature, human domination, hunting, grief amongst animals to go with grief felt by humans, habitat destruction, and a whoooole LOT of the science of Goosery. Expect to learn a lot about how geese are born, how they navigate their surroundings during different phases of their development, the science behind flight and how THAT all changes as they continue growing, etc. etc. etc.
There are joyful happenings, friendships to go along with bullying by others toward the weaker, acts of human cruelty to go with human sensitivity and love for nature and its inhabitants. There’s so much about growing up and being true to one’s nature, in kindness towards others, in protecting those who need it. There’s a sense of adventure as all learn to fly in their places within the V formation. And there’s a smattering of the beauty of nature as it changes with the seasons. There’s also the sorrow of loss and of saying good-bye, knowing that one will never see another again.
Sooooo, PHEW!!! Aaaaaaalllll that in the span of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Expect so much, but don’t expect much depth to the writing even tho’ it tries to pack the occasional emotional wallop. Still, your kids might experience the whole: Bambi’s MOM just got SHOT Moment. So yeh, tears might flow.
Me? I wasn’t exactly moved by the story, but I can see it and applaud Hayhurst for bringing creatures to Life and for showing that even tho’ SOME humans might be total dipwads, there are indeed some of us who care, who notice life, who respect it and see it for the healing that might come with being one with it.
Ultimately? Go Hayhurst! Dude, rock on and teach the little ones!
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