The Goose and His Brother

The goose and his brother live on the farm, together with the farmer, her dog, some turkeys and some sheep. While the other animals take life as it comes, the goose and his brother ask themselves questions that are sometimes bigger than themselves. What is happiness? Why does the world keep changing? And when the farmer goes away, will she ever come back? Their philosophising stems from their melancholic attitude, in which life is hard and fate is uncertain. The geese approach big, important themes with a degree of touching naivety.

Bart Moeyaert finds the perfect balance between gentle humour and taking their concerns seriously. This lends the stories a timeless and universal character, poetically worded by Moeyaert in his distinctive economical style. In spite of the highly poetic and subtle content of the text, the author also demonstrates his skill as a humourist. The design of this magnificent gem deserves a great deal of praise: the deep-blue letters and orange titles, combined with Gerda Dendooven’s wonderful blue-and-orange illustrations, are a delight for the eyes.