I did not know this was from a kids TV show; got it because it was suggested by amazon and had chicks and an egg and it looked Easter-y. I can very well imagine little gosling becoming glued to the TV, should he ever catch a glimpse of the show :))).

The three friends come across an egg whilst playing and set out to find its parents before it hatches. Little gosling now wants to play chase, just like Mossy, everytime we go to the park; he starts running saying “catch you” :))) and off he goes, giggling and laughing. He also loves to “wheeee” with them when they slide down the slopes. He loves slides and this is the closest he’s got to one in more than four weeks now. It’s a fun little story for the youngest ones, full of play and interjections and lots of sweetness between the three friends.

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We go through it observing every detail. The first two pages, with the savannah in the sunrise (?), are mesmerising: the small hippo ears coming out of the tall grass, the two monkeys hugging up in the tree, the bugs climbing up the grass stalks. One time when we went through the different dances the animals do, we took advantage to play music to little gosling; he was swaying to the waltz and even now keeps counting to himself: 1-2-cha-cha-cha. He’s sad when Gerald leaves the dance sad and alone… ohhhh… loves it when the cricket comes in (“cri cri” becomes “chi chi”) and is intrigued by Gerald closing the eyes to listen to the sounds of nature or being ecstatic when he realises he can dance. A very enjoyable reading over and over and over again and many opportunities to learn about animals, music, emotions.

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Little gosling would ask for polar bear. Funnily, when we start reading the book, “Polar bear’s gone, but where did he go?”, little gosling points the finger to the bear’s ears blending into the ice giggling, “there!!!”. I wonder for a moment whether he will want to stop, but we always go on to finish the story.

Some of the activities he is portrayed engaging in are decidedly wintery, but others less, like canoeing or snorkeling. One also gets to meet some other polar friends. Curling with penguins was an early favourite, back when little gosling was into penguins. Recently, we’ve spent more time on the dinner with the seal and the walrus, diseccating the dinner table; the pizza the seal is having is such a show stealer. My absolute favourite is the “deep conversation about the holes in his socks” with the “smart Arctic fox”. Sometimes daddy mimes the different activities whilst mommy is reading, causing all sorts of giggles and squeaks. 

Little gosling was hooked on it from the beginning (he was around 1). The language is simple and accessible from very early on, the rhyme is entertaining, the colours are vivid and the forever smiling bear exhudes friendliness and invites himself in for whatever activity. I also enjoy reading it and inadvertently and very quickly creeps into one’s memory. 

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I found it in my local bookshop in South Africa, where we were living at the time. I bought it for its strong local flavour. Not in the least because Ricky’s animal toy friends are from the local fauna: lion – his sleep buddy, elephant, cheetah. It has a touch of the Lion King about it, featuring a beloved ruling lion family and an orderly and protective animal kingdom. It also helps reinforce in a natural way baby’s awareness of racial diversity, which I find important.

Baby loves the suspense and emotion in the dialogue and the animal illustrations. He likes the image of Ricky jumping into the water to go after lion cub; he is presently attempting to jump with both feet off the ground and particularly fond of jumping altogether. By the time Ricky hugs the wet and shivering lion cub, he is climbing in my arms and hugging mommy tight. Impossible not to love reading the book together! 

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