SuitabookRescue and responsibility
Jerry frees Gilligan from fishing line but recognises that a wild goose should live in the wild.
Loading your next page
Book details
Jerry M. Hay - Author
This is a nature-focused true story about rescuing a goose caught in fishing line, then finding a way to respect its wildness. It offers an engaging setting in river life and a distinctive human–animal encounter.
Jerry Hay is the Hoosier author of this children's book about the true adventures of Gilligan the Goose. Gilligan is Jerry's river friend who has had some adventures of his own. Read the unusual story about how they met and bonded. Gilligan is always making life interesting along the Wabash River. The unique feature of the book is that the story is true and Gilligan is a real goose. He is well known by local river people who actually threw a party for the goose when he returned after being gone for the winter.
Book Brief
Sign in to see how this book fits your child and family preferences.
Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a nature-focused true story about rescuing a goose caught in fishing line, then finding a way to respect its wildness. It offers an engaging setting in river life and a distinctive human–animal encounter.
Jerry frees Gilligan from fishing line but recognises that a wild goose should live in the wild.
Gilligan follows Jerry home after being freed, and the two are described as forming a bond.
Jerry rescues exposed river mussels when the Wabash River recedes, while the goose is caught amid this river setting.
The rescue includes fishing line wrapped around the goose’s feet and wings, hooks caught in feathers, and a float around its neck. This may be upsetting for some readers, though the outcome of the rescue is described positively.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
Book information
Limited information
A Goose Named Gilligan by Jerry M. Hay, Phyllis Pollema-Cahill (9781932073096)
Limited information
Checked: 19 September 2026.
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.