Pig goes out for a picnic on the first day of spring and discovers Goose flying by. The two quickly become friends and share the picnic. Pig then invites Goose to her first-day-of-spring party, with several other animals in attendance.

This is a sweet story about a new friendship and an optimistic look on life. Pig and Goose have different abilities and both are recognized for their special skills (e.g., Goose can fly and swim, while Pig is a wonderful host who regales others with stories and more). The gentle watercolor illustrations are lovely and fit perfectly with the tone of the book.

My only small quibble is how the book opens with Pig's monologue but each quotation is on a separate line, the way that a back-and-forth dialogue would normally be presented. I feel like this could be confusing to young children, especially as the book later has traditional dialogue presented this way. Overall, however, this is a good book for young readers either as a readaloud or for those learning to read. ( )

Reader or transitional fiction; 48 pages ( )