07 Apr Book Review: The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders

This little book is strange, sharp, and surprisingly wise—classic George Saunders, but aimed at a younger audience (and honestly, anyone with a soft spot for quirky allegories). The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip might look like a children’s book at first glance—it’s short, it’s illustrated, and the language is simple—but it has that signature Saunders blend of dark humor and big-hearted commentary. It’s about selfishness, fairness, empathy, and goats. Lots of goats.

What’s it about?

Frip is a tiny seaside village made up of just three shacks perched above the crashing waves. It’s not exactly a booming metropolis, but the people there get by—thanks mostly to goats. Goats are their livelihood. They milk them, sell the milk, and that’s how they survive. Each of the three families has a flock of goats, and every day they go out and tend to them, and every evening they deal with the gappers.

Gappers are little orange, burr-like creatures with googly eyes and a single-minded obsession: they love goats. They love goats so much that they cling to them in great big gaggles, screeching joyfully and making the goats too stressed out to produce milk. Each night, the children of Frip must go out, collect the gappers from their goats, and throw them back into the sea.

At the center of the story is Capable, a young girl who lives with her widowed father in one of the shacks. She’s hardworking, thoughtful, and the kind of kid who just gets on with it, even when life is hard. And life gets very hard when—for reasons unknown—the gappers suddenly stop visiting the other two families’ goats and start targeting only hers. Every night, her goats are overwhelmed, while the goats next door sleep peacefully.

This doesn’t seem fair. Capable still has to clean her goats, she still has to carry the gappers to the ocean, and she still has to do it all without help. She asks her neighbors if they might lend a hand, or share the burden somehow. After all, they used to have to deal with the gappers too. But the neighbors are not interested. They suggest she must have done something to attract the gappers. Or maybe her goats are just more appealing. Or maybe it’s just her problem now.

So Capable does what she has to. She works harder. She adapts. She thinks creatively. And slowly, she finds a way to deal with the gappers that doesn’t require waiting around for help that’s never coming.

But that’s not quite where the story ends. As Capable figures out a solution and begins to reclaim some control over her life, the others in the village start to notice. Their comfort begins to feel uneasy. Their justifications for not helping her start to sound hollow. Eventually, the story comes full circle—not in a dramatic, fairy-tale way, but in a way that speaks to Saunders’ quiet moral vision: people can change. They can learn. And sometimes, the person who’s been carrying the burden ends up teaching everyone else what community really means.

What This Chick Thinks

I adore this book. It’s so strange, so specific, and so full of heart. Saunders has this gift for writing morality tales that don’t feel preachy. There’s a real emotional pulse under the absurdity. Yes, the gappers are goofy, and yes, the setting is surreal, but the core message is painfully relatable: what do you do when you’re left to deal with a problem on your own, while everyone around you shrugs?

Capable is a brilliant little protagonist—resilient, smart, and quietly furious in a way that feels so true to life. Her frustration is never dramatized; it’s just there, simmering beneath the surface, especially when her neighbors justify doing nothing. And that’s where the book hits hardest. It’s not about villains or heroes—it’s about everyday people who choose comfort over compassion.

The illustrations by Lane Smith are a perfect match—kind of weird, kind of eerie, totally charming. They elevate the story without overwhelming it, giving the world of Frip a lived-in texture that makes the metaphor land even more deeply.

And I love that the book doesn’t end with everyone hugging it out. The change in the neighbors doesn’t come from some grand revelation—it comes from watching Capable figure things out without them. There’s a quiet accountability baked into the story, and it’s that restraint that makes it feel so grown-up, even though it’s technically a kids’ book.

Final Thoughts

The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip is the kind of book that can sit on a child’s shelf and still resonate deeply with adults. It’s about unfairness, hard work, and how easy it is to turn away from someone else’s struggle. But it’s also hopeful, funny, and full of weird little creatures who just want to cuddle goats. I mean, what more could you want?

Rating: 9/10

Try it if you like

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – Another illustrated tale with a deceptively simple surface and a rich emotional core.
• I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen – A sharp, funny, quietly dark children’s book with lots going on beneath the surface.
• The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith – A visually stunning, emotionally resonant story that deals with loneliness and growth.