The lively hero of the chapter book Gooney Bird Greene (2002) is back in her idyllic second-grade classroom, as the children get ready to celebrate a pageant of the First Thanksgiving. Dressed in various exuberant outfits, Gooney is in charge, and she even shows her wonderful teacher a thing or two. Gooney Bird's focus is on the wonder of words--from cajole and ennui to fiasco. Her special word is incognito, because she has arranged to get a room mother for the class, whose identity must be kept secret until the day of the pageant. Relaxed black-and-white illustrations capture the diverse classroom. The lessons are fun (including the history of Squanto), as are the classroom characters. Best of all is the story, which builds to a tense, beautiful climax as the identity of the room mother is revealed. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved