For Freya, Isaac and Laoise
ÚNA LEAVY has worked for many years as a primary-school teacher. She has written several children’s books, including The O’Brien Book of Irish Fairy Tales & Legends and Magical Celtic Tales. She has six adult children and six grandchildren. She lives in Mayo with her husband Lorcán and the occasional cat.
SHANNON BERGIN is an Irish illustrator, avid doodler and tea drinker. As a kid, she wandered around the countryside making up stories and drawing on any available surface. As a grown-up, she basically does the same thing, but now it’s for books, galleries and other cool things. She has won several awards for her illustrative pieces, and her debut illustrated book Evie’s Christmas Wishes written by Siobhan Parkinson, was shortlisted for the 2021 Irish Book Awards. She loves books, gardening and all things colourful, with a hint of magic.
First published 2024 by The O’Brien Press Ltd, 12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777
E-mail: books@obrien.ie
Website: obrien.ie
The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland.
ISBN: 978-1-78849-454-0
Text © Una Leavy 2024
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
Illustrations © Shannon Bergin 2024
Typesetting, layout, design and editing © The O’Brien Press 2024
Cover and text design by Emma Byrne
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including for text and data mining, training artificial intelligence systems, photocopying, recording or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Printed and bound in Poland by Bialostockie Zaklady Graficzne S.A.
The paper in this book is produced using pulp from managed forests.
The O’Brien Press received financial assistance from the Arts Council to publish this title
Published in
Little Goose was excited. Winter was coming – Grandfather Gander said so. It was time to go before the Big Snow.
‘Take care, Little Goose,’ Grandfather said. ‘Don’t wander off.’ ‘No, Grandfather.’ Little Goose stretched her wings and fluffed out her feathers.
Would they ever get started?
‘Honk, honk, honk!’ called Grandfather at last.
‘Are you ready? Are you ready?’
‘Honk, honk, honk!’ cried the geese.
‘We’re ready! We’re ready!’
Flap, creak, flap, away they went.
High in the sky the wind was icy. Sleet spattered and spat but Little Goose didn’t mind that. There was so much to see –mountains and forests, cities and towns.
Far below, people scurried along the streets.
‘Humans!’ snapped the geese. ‘They’re nasty!
Keep away from those, Little Goose.’
Now there were fields with red and blue tractors, and snug farmhouses.
Little Goose looked and looked. She didn’t really mind being at the back.
Suddenly, the sky grew dark!
Something wet and cold brushed against her wings.
‘Snow!’ cried Grandfather Gander.
‘Snow has come early.
Hurry, hurry, hurry!’
‘Snow!’ squealed the geese.
‘Hurry, hurry, hurry!’
Little Goose hurried. She flew and flew against the busy, sifting snowflakes.
Already the others had vanished in a blur.
‘Wait for me!’ cried Little Goose. But nobody heard in the wild, hissing wind.
‘Keep together!’ called Grandfather far ahead. ‘Honk, honk, honk!’ cried the geese.
‘Keep together, keep together!’ Flap, creak, flap ...
Little Goose flew as fast as she could.
Wind tattered her feathers, hailstones battered her wings.
Bit by bit she was left behind ...
Far below was a house with a red-brick chimney. A boy and his Mum were standing by a gate.
Just then, a sudden gust tossed Little Goose around. Down, down, down she tumbled. Smack! And everything went black.
‘Don’t
be scared,’ someone said. Little Goose opened her eyes. There stood the boy and his mum. Humans!
Little Goose’s heart went flupperty-flup, and ooooh! How her wing hurt!
‘Poor Little Goose!’ Mum said. ‘Let’s get her to the barn, Finn.’ Soon Little Goose was lying in straw. There was water and corn, but she was so tired ... Outside the wind roared while Little Goose slept and slept.
For days, she rested. Mum rubbed stuff on the sore, torn wing. Finn came to visit.
Once, four hens came squawking round the door.
‘Nosy creatures!’ Finn said, chasing them away. Then he asked Little Goose a whole lot of questions. She was too afraid to answer.
But soon Little Goose’s wing didn’t hurt any more. She was no longer scared, so she told Finn ... about Grandfather Gander, and the cold north lands where winter comes early. She told him about flying over forests and cities, and the great, scary blizzard, and how she got lost.
Little Goose began to feel much better but she stayed in the barn. Frost still glittered, icicles hung in twisted sticks. Every day after school Finn came running in with news of football and friends.
Then spring came.
The snow melted, the sun grew warm.
One day, Little Goose waddled outside.
She stretched her wings –they were still a bit weak.
Every day after, she stretched and stretched. Slowly she grew stronger.
One morning she ran across the yard – and yes, yes, yes! She could even fly a bit.
Soon Finn and Little Goose were having fun together.
They paddled in puddles, and chased the crows away. They teased the hens, and scared the postman, and hissed together at the neighbour’s cat.
But Little Goose began to feel restless. One morning, she woke with a start.
What was that noise?
It was so familiar ... She waddled outside. Finn and Mum were at the gate, looking up.
‘Honk, honk, honk!’
A vee of geese soared above the rooftop.
‘Honk, honk, honk!
Honk, honk, honk!’
Little Goose’s heart went flupperty-flup.
‘It’s the wild geese going home’, Mum said.
‘Time for Little Goose too, I think.’
‘No!’ Finn cried.
‘We can’t let Little Goose go! No, no, no!’
Little Goose looked at Finn ... and somehow, Finn knew it was time.