Three Good Deeds

What a strange little book! I just finished reading this enjoyable story by Vivian Vande Velde, another Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee and found it to be unlike any other story I have read. Maybe that is why it was chosen to be a nominee. I think younger readers will get a kick out of "How-Word"—that is what the geese call him. As the title implies, three good deeds are involved here and it seems such a simple thing to do but Howard is having lots of trouble finding good things to do. I wonder if the reader can give Howard some ideas. One thing I liked about the book is the names of the geese, such as Mighty-Beak/Bone-Crusher and Scared-By-A-Rabbit and Moonlight-Gives-Her-Down-A-Silver-Glow.

You may have read other books by Vande Velde such as Heir Apparent or Never Trust a Dead Man, both are in the SJV library and have been Maud Hart Nominees in the past. I am winding down my list of nominees, my goal was to read all the Division I titles before school starts. Of course I've read several other books that weren't MHL books, too. It has been a good book summer!