Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
A curious story involving not only the Snow Goose, the Canada-bred wanderer of the airways, but also a couple and their travels. In print in this small hardcover gift format since 1941.Against the backdrop of World War II, friendship develops between a lonely crippled painter and a village girl, when together they minister to an injured snow goose.
Synopsis
A stunning new edition of a beloved children’s classic.
On the desolate Essex marshes, a young girl, Fritha, comes to seek help from Philip Rhayader, a recluse who lives in an abandoned lighthouse. She carries in her arms a wounded snow goose that has been storm-tossed across the Atlantic from Canada. Fritha is frightened of Rhayader, but he is gentler than his appearance suggests and nurses the goose back to health. Over the following months and years, Fritha visits the lighthouse when the snow goose is there. And every summer, when it flies away, Thayader is left alone once more.
The Snow Goose is set in the years running up to the evacuation of Dunkirk in the Second World War. Originally published in 1940 in the Saturday Evening Post, it was brought out in book form the following year by Knopf, Michael Joseph and M&S simultaneously. It won the prestigious O Henry prize that same year and has been continually in print ever since. The Snow Goose has inspired a number of musical scores and albums, has been made into two feature films and moved generations of readers. A new feature film will be released in the coming year.
Beautifully written, with a powerful ending, and breathtakingly illustrated, this is an exquisite edition of Gallico’s masterpiece.
Children's Literature
The original story used for this picture book was published in late 1940 after the Battle of Dunkirk. It is the story of Philip Rhayader, a painter who has become a recluse because of his unwillingness to endure the taunts and pity of the townspeople due to his hunched back. However, when twelve-year-old Frith brings a wounded Canadian snow goose to Philip, it is the beginning of a gentle friendship as the little girl watches the lonely man nurse the goose they call the Princesse back to health. Eventually, the Princesse leaves, only to return to make her home permanently by Philip's lighthouse. So, too, does Frith return to the lighthouse, eventually realizing, as does Philip, that they love each other. However, before they can profess their feelings, the Battle of Dunkirk erupts. Any man who can sail a vessel is asked to sail to the Channel and save as many of the stranded and injured British soldiers as he can. Philip leaves with the Princesse flying behind him, and the two become a story of hope among the soldiers. The illustrations that accompany this version of the story are beautiful in their simplicity; using pencil, graphite, watercolor, and gouache, the artist creates a vivid picture of the characters and the battle scenes. This is one of those great matches between story and art. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
The original story used for this picture book was published in late 1940 after the Battle of Dunkirk. It is the story of Philip Rhayader, a painter who has become a recluse because of his unwillingness to endure the taunts and pity of the townspeople due to his hunched back. However, when twelve-year-old Frith brings a wounded Canadian snow goose to Philip, it is the beginning of a gentle friendship as the little girl watches the lonely man nurse the goose they call the Princesse back to health. Eventually, the Princesse leaves, only to return to make her home permanently by Philip's lighthouse. So, too, does Frith return to the lighthouse, eventually realizing, as does Philip, that they love each other. However, before they can profess their feelings, the Battle of Dunkirk erupts. Any man who can sail a vessel is asked to sail to the Channel and save as many of the stranded and injured British soldiers as he can. Philip leaves with the Princesse flying behind him, and the two become a story of hope among the soldiers. The illustrations that accompany this version of the story are beautiful in their simplicity; using pencil, graphite, watercolor, and gouache, the artist creates a vivid picture of the characters and the battle scenes. This is one of those great matches between story and art. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.VOYA -
Gallico originally wrote this story after the Battle of Dunkirk, telling the short tale of Philip Rhayader, a secluded hunchback living in a lighthouse in 1930s Essex. One day, a young girl, Frith, brings a wounded bird to Rhayader's lighthouse because legend holds that he can heal injured animals. The injured snow goose from Canada brings about an unlikely friendship between deformed Rhayader and timid Frith as the bird migrates to the lighthouse each year. For Rhayader, time is now measured by the arrival and departure of the snow goose and more important, Frith. When Rhayader is called away to help rescue stranded British soldiers, Frith worries that he might not return. This classic short story portrays the theme of "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder." In its short pages, the book offers beautiful illustrations, detailed descriptions, interesting characters, and a sad but fascinating story. The writing style is slightly dated, and the colloquial dialogue used by some of the characters might turn off some readers. Even though the story is well written and interesting, it looks like a children's picture book and will require lots of pushing. Perhaps readers will find it if it is placed in a graphic novel collection, but consider the reintroduced book a minor purchase for collections serving middle and high school students.School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up
Gallico's classic story of the selflessness of a goodhearted recluse speaks volumes to readers accustomed to a world plagued by self-gratification. Philip Rhayader, a deformed misfit, inhabits an abandoned lighthouse near the English Channel, where he pours out his feelings in his paintings of wildlife and in his care for the birds to which he gives sanctuary. When 12-year-old Frith takes Philip a wounded snow goose, the two form a bond. The goose returns annually, and Philip and Frith grow in their fondness for each other. During World War II, when hundreds are stranded at Dunkirk, Philip, with only the goose as a companion and under heavy enemy fire, tirelessly sails soldiers to safety. Later, when the bird returns alone to the lighthouse, Frith's worst fears are confirmed, and she is left with nothing but Philip's paintings and her memories of a love she never expressed. The beautifully written but somewhat complex text uses unfamiliar vocabulary, and the occasional dialogue is rendered in a strong Essex dialect. However, the overall story is clear, poignant, and still relevant years after its original publication (1940). Barrett's inset and full-page pencil drawings, done in soft pastel tones, perfectly complement the tale's serious nature, capturing the spareness of the landscape and the intensity of the characters' feelings. Sure to provoke thoughtful discussions, this book is an excellent way to introduce a new generation to Gallico's timeless tale.
—Nancy Menaldi-ScanlanCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.