Horn Book

A story inspired by O. Henry's 'The Gift of the Magi' is riddled with cliches. A weaver uses goose feathers to make a comforter, and when the geese want their feathers returned to them, the weaver makes them coats woven from her own hair.

Kirkus Reviews

Old Agatha, proprietor of a lovely little shop that sells her spinning and weaving, harbors an affectionate brood of cats and enjoys offering children explanations about where things come from, describing the likes of silkworms and cotton bolls. Still, she has acquired a fine new featherbed without considering the geese, who arrive at her window, naked and complaining, in a flurry of puns (plucky little guys''). Sending them off to stay at theDown Town Motel,'' Agatha contrives a unique recompense: cutting her own long hair, she makes coats for the geese to wear until their feathers grow back. In less skillful hands, this would have been a tract, but Deedy keeps the message undidactic: she suggests awareness and care for animal rights but leaves conclusions to the reader. Meanwhile, Seeley's delicately detailed illustrations are entrancing, with informative vignettes tucked into her decorative borders, an intricate new coiffure for Agatha's lengthy locks in almost every picture, and many quiet touches of humor. Offbeat, provocative, well crafted. (Picture book. 4-10)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Agatha, a sagacious old lady, sells her woven wares and imparts knowledge to all, especially children: Everything comes from something, / Nothing comes from nothing .'' This maxim reachessix naked geese,'' who are chilly and demand the return of their feathers from Agatha's feather bed. Though a little down in the mouth,'' Agatha promises a solution in three days. (The geese, meanwhile, register at theDown Town Motel'' where they took a gander in the mirror.'') Agatha's solution is inspired, as is Deedy's playful yarn. From its simple beginning--Do you see that little shop sandwiched between two skyscrapers?''--to its intriguing conclusion--``Where do goose eggs come from, anyway?''--this finely crafted collaboration abounds with information and whimsy. It also teems with puns and word play, much of which may be of greater appeal to grownups than to the book's intended audience. Seeley's atmospheric illustrations are bathed in lavender, giving them a properly old-fashioned tone. Stylized patchwork borders contain examples of Agatha's truism--a flax plant stands by a bolt of linen, a stalk of wheat by a loaf of bread. A ducky book. Ages 4-10. (June)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-- An old woman named Agatha owns a shop in which she spins yarn and weaves cloth which she sells.'' One day a boy comes in with his mother and Agatha explains the origin of such things as silk, cotton, wool, etc. However, the main story does not begin until Agatha goes home that evening and is visited by six naked geese who are looking for their feathers--the feathers that are in her new feather bed. Agatha sends the geese away, telling them to return in three days. Although written with the intent of teaching young children thateverything comes from something,'' this message-laden picture book takes on too many ideas and ends up being overwhelming. Deedy also tries to incorporate puns into the text that appear one after another and often seem forced and out of context. Seeley's illustrations are the book's only redeeming quality. Drawn realistically in colored pencil using a variety of soft dark colors, each one is surrounded by a simple colorful border. However, the pictures in those borders often contain elements that are irrelevant to the the plot. All in all, this is unsuccessful as fiction and as nonfiction. --Rachel Fox, Port Washington Public Library, NY