Mindi and the goose no one else could see by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Linda Olafsdottir

 Mindi, a little white girl with brown hair, is scared. She's scared of a big goose that nobody else can see. It's shown as a shadow on the wall as her parents try vainly to rid her of her fear. Frustrated, her dad visits a farmer named Austen who is known to have wise advice. After some thought, Austen invites them to bring Mindi to visit, taking her a long way around as she comes.

Mindi and her dad are shown wading a river, hiking up a hill, and stopping for a picnic in small vignettes across the page. When they finally arrive, Mindi is delighted with the animals, even the two noisy geese, and falls in love with a sweet little goat whom she names Black-and-Whitey. They quickly become fast friends and later Austen breaks the news - Black-and-Whitey is a gift for Mindi! But he can't just give away an animal, Mindi must give him something in return - like a certain big goose. A goose she won't be able to see any longer, since it is such a long journey to his home.

The final twist of the story occurs when Mindi's dad visits Austen to thank him for the gift of the goat and let him know that it has cured Mindi's fears... only to find out that Austen now has three geese!

This is a lengthy story, with cozy and attractive illustrations. From an adult perspective, one can't help wondering how on earth the parents coped with the sudden introduction of a goat into their home, which is just described as being in a village. We see a few interiors and some vegetation through the window, so can't tell if they live in a rural or suburban area, or have a yard. The clothing worn by the characters has a kind of timeless feel, leggings and skirts for Mindi, Nordic-style sweaters for her dad and mom, with thick patterned socks for her dad and capris and flats for her mom.

It's certainly an interesting and unique story, but it's also one that to me falls into the category of "introducing a problem that isn't there" like reading books to young children about dealing with the trauma of a new baby sibling and thus giving them the idea that it's a Bad Thing. Any children with intrusive thoughts and intense fears are unlikely to be comforted by the very hypothetical solution, while those who haven't previously struggled with this will now have the specter of a scary animal nobody else can see following them around.

I may be overthinking this - most other reviews thought it was a sweet and thoughtful story and appreciated how Austen (and Mindi's parents) were respectful of her fears and worries and led her to her own resolution, but I think I'm just too literal-minded to really appreciate it.

Verdict: The lengthy text and odd plot make this one that I enjoyed from an literary and artistic perspective, but I have a hard time seeing it in use either in a classroom or storytime setting. An optional purchase.

ISBN: 9781536212815; Published March 2021 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by the publisher