The Ugly-Ducklingesque tale of Borka, the sixth gosling born to Mr and Mrs Plumpster, who wears a grey jumper her mother knits because she has no feathers, and can’t fly. Bullied and left behind by her migrating fellows, she stows away on a trawler, makes friends and ends up in Kew Gardens where the geese don’t mind strangeness.
The first picturebook John Burningham wrote and illustrated, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers, was immediately acclaimed. It won the Greenaway Medal for 1963, and gave rise to a whole new children’s book list at Cape.
“So Mrs Plumpster got out her knitting needles and set to work. Of course she could not really knit feathers, but she made a kind of woollen jersey as much like feathers as she could.”
“The geese shivered and knew it was time to go. They chose one wise old goose to lead them and they all flew away. ”
“But Borka did not go. She could not fly. Instead she went and hid, and watched them leave. Nobody noticed that she was missing. They were all too busy thinking of the journey ahead. As the geese disappeared into the grey sky, tears trickled down Borka’s beak.”
“She did not know what to do.”
Borka was born in the marshes of the East of England, where John Burningham’s wife Helen grew up and where he went to school for a time
“The geese shivered and knew it was time to go. They chose one wise old goose to lead them and they all flew away. ”
“But Borka did not go. She could not fly. Instead she went and hid, and watched them leave. Nobody noticed that she was missing. They were all too busy thinking of the journey ahead. As the geese disappeared into the grey sky, tears trickled down Borka’s beak.”
“She did not know what to do.”
Borka was born in the marshes of the East of England, where John Burningham’s wife Helen grew up and where he went to school for a time
Borka was just going down into the hold of the boat when there was a loud bark. A dog came rushing out, which gave Borka a terrible fright. But the dog seeing it was only a goose, stopped barking and introduced himself. He was called Fowler.
Borka explained that she only wanted to stay under cover for the night, so Fowler showed her into a part of the hold where there were old sacks for her to lie on. She was so tired that she fell asleep almost at once
Borka was just going down into the hold of the boat when there was a loud bark. A dog came rushing out, which gave Borka a terrible fright. But the dog seeing it was only a goose, stopped barking and introduced himself. He was called Fowler.
Borka explained that she only wanted to stay under cover for the night, so Fowler showed her into a part of the hold where there were old sacks for her to lie on. She was so tired that she fell asleep almost at once
“Well, well!” said Captain McAllister. “A goose on board! She’ll have to work her passage if she’s coming with us to London.”
Borka was soon very friendly with the Captain, Fred and of course Fowler. She coiled bits of rope with her beek, Picked up crumbs from the floor and helped in any way she could.
In return she was given plenty of good food
“Well, Well!” said captain McAllister. “A goose on board! She’ll have to work her passage if she’s coming with us to London.”
At last the Crombie steamed into the Thames and they were nearing London. Captain McAllister began to wonder what to do with Borka when they got there. He decided to leave her in Kew Gardens, which is a large park where lots of geese live year round.
At last the Crombie steamed into the Thames and they were nearing London. Captain McAllister began to wonder what to do with Borka when they got there.
He decided to leave her in Kew Gardens, which is a large park where lots of geese live year round.
The geese at Kew did not mind that Borka had no feathers. There were already so many strange kinds of birds in the gardens. Nobody laughed at her grey woollen jersey and all the geese were very friendly, especially one called Ferdinand…
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