Katarina was a lonely goose who longed for another of her kind to live on her pond with her. Every day, when Mr. Buswell would drive up in his shiny car, on his way to work at the bank across the street from the pond, Katarina would see another goose reflected in his car, and long for this anserine fellow to emerge. Then one snowy day, seeing a man emerge from the bank with a goose-sized sack, she became convinced he was carrying one of her kind, and gave chase. When it turned out that Katarina had foiled a bank robbery, the townspeople, guided by the perceptive Millie Buswell, rewarded her with her heart's desire...

The first of two picture-books devoted to the doings of the eponymous anserine heroine, The Other Goose pairs an engaging and ultimately heartwarming story with author/artist Judith Kerr's appealing watercolor illustrations. I'm a great fan of Kerr's work, particularly her picture-books about Mog the forgetful cat, so I was pleased to stumble across this previously unknown-to-me title. Although the narrative here felt a little reminiscent of the first Mog book - both animals inadvertently foil a robbery - it was still entertaining, and ultimately heartwarming. Recommended to Judith Kerr fans, and to anyone looking for fun animal stories for the picture-book set. ( )