A funny story about adaptations, Zander Stays by Maureen Fergus and Scot Ritchie is a perfect book for change of the seasons.

Zander is a goose who likes to do things his own way. One fall, he decides to stay instead of heading out to his summer home with his friends and family. What follows is a harrowing tale of survival and learning about how different animals prepare for the winter.

Maureen Fergus has a special knack of creating stories that delight and thrill young readers. Her stories are always a little silly but also have a great message embedded in the pages. I love how she has used animal’s winter adaptations to craft a story that all readers will enjoy. 

Zander the goose learns all kinds of things when he stays behind for the winter and also quickly learns that the winter air is not good for a goose. I love how readers learn about what other animals do in the winter when they suggest ways for Zander to prepare. I tend to feel quite like Zander in the winter, excited at first and then quickly finding the need to find a nice warm house to curl up in. There is great back matter in the book that teaches readers a little bit more about all the animals featured in the story.

Scot Ritchie’s illustrations are fantastic. They add to the humour of the story and are detailed enough to keep readers coming back, but also simple to enjoy in a large setting.