Mila Says: Virtual Learning with Cheryl Allison and Honk

By Nancy Churnin, Mila Vincent, and Shayna Vincent ~

Mila Vincent, our intrepid 5-year-old theater critic, hasn’t been able to go out and see shows with her grandmother, Johannah Luza, whom she calls Mimi, during the coronavirus pandemic. But Mila was happy to catch local actress and filmmaker Cheryl Allison and her friend, Honk the Goose, on a Facebook Live event presented by Bath House Cultural Center.

Cheryl talked to children about her unique bond with Honk and how their friendship developed from her daily walks in a Dallas park during the COVID quarantine, and how she once sang Honk to sleep. She discussed how everyone should help keep the environment clean for our wildlife friends. When Mila’s grandma wasn’t able to make the Facebook Live event, Mila’s mom, Shayna Vincent, was happy to fill in as her co-reviewer.

MILA: I love all animals and Honk the Goose was so much fun to watch! My favorite part about Honk the Goose was when he honked! I usually go to the duck pond with my Mimi, but last weekend my mom took me, and we saw so many geese. My little sister chased them all morning! Cheryl taught me that we shouldn’t feed them bread and that they can live off grass. They are vegetarians, which means they don’t eat meat. I liked learning that Honk and other geese like watermelon. That’s one of my favorite summer snacks too! It was so funny that when Honk first saw Cheryl, he followed her all the way to the middle of the street and had to get him back in his park. He doesn’t like it when she leaves because they are best friends, so she has to throw treats in the lake for him while she sneaks away to her car. He loves her so much he wants to go live with her. I learned that we shouldn’t throw trash in lakes because it messes up the home for geese and other animals. Once Cheryl found a fishing line around Honk’s foot and had to get it off. Honk has his own Instagram page! Honk_The Goose. He’s pretty famous already! My dad built a koi pond in our backyard, but we don’t have any geese around. Maybe Honk will want to visit and swim at my house someday! I hope so!

SHAYNA: Cheryl Allison has a passion for animals and our community, and she conveys this with such a compassionate story. She talks about her relationship with Honk the Goose and about taking care of parks, lakes, and ponds. She discussed that these are the animals’ homes just like we like our homes to be clean and explained what any park visitor like ourselves could do to help the geese. It was a sweet story with helpful information for parents and children. Who doesn’t love hearing that honk?!

CLICK HERE to view Cheryl Allison and Honk’s remarkable friendship in an online video as part of the Dodo online Soulmates series.