G is for Goat

by Patricia Polacco

Letter by letter, meet cart-pulling goats; clothes-munching goats; head-butting, hill-climbing, tail-wagging goats! Cats, chicks, dogs, and bunnies play along with these friendly goats, joining in the fun. From A is for Apple to Z is for Zoe, these rascally animals just won’t stop until they’ve romped through the whole alphabet. Patricia Polacco, beloved author and proud owner and friend of many goats, has created another wonderful book to be treasured by all.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Nature, Storytime, Poetry

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2003

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco, whose picture-books are usually quite text-heavy - in my library, they are mostly shelved in the special "Picture Plus" section, reserved for longer and more challenging picture-books - offers a far simpler "narrative" in G Is for Goat, a rhyming alphabet book which features one of the author's favorite kind of creatures. Here we have goats cavorting with children, as kittens, rabbits and ducks look on, or snacking on everything from oats to dresses. The artwork, done in pencil and watercolor, is full of movement and color, and the text, though minimal, is engaging.

Polacco clearly knows her caprine friends, and her affection for them shines through on every page of this book! I was surprised to find myself enjoying G Is for Goat as much as I did, as I'm not usually much of an alphabet book devotee. As expected, there isn't much of a "story" here, but the text reads well, and I imagine that children will find it entertaining, especially in conjunction with the humorous illustrations. Recommended to any young reader who likes goats, or to anyone in the market for good alphabet books!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

The illustrations provide so much detail; there’s so much to view. I am impressed by the depictions of all the animals and the people too.

The narrative, A-Z about goats, is told as a simple rhyme.

Both illustrations and story are appealing. I would not have guessed that an alphabet book about goats could be so interesting. I am not normally a fan of books about farmed animals. Perhaps because Polacco shares her home with a family of goats, and therefore knows of what she writes/illustrates, she’s created another worthy book. The personalities of the goats (and other animals) jumped right off the pages.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really enjoy Patricia Polacco's stories and so we look for them often at our local library. Lucky for us, she is a very prolific writer, so we still have a lot of her books to discover.

I was a bit hesitant to read this book with our girls as it is an alphabet book and they have moved far beyond this kind of story. Our oldest gave a bit of a groan of protest when I brought it out. But I insisted, since it was by Ms. Polacco, and I really think she liked it, even if she won't admit it. Besides, since it's an alphabet book, it's very short!

We enjoyed the goat theme and we loved the illustrations. The goats, bunnies, ducks, chickens and cats are so adorable! Ms. Polacco seemed to mix her seasons a bit; the book has mainly a springtime flavor, but the first letter, "A is for Apple" depicts apples in their full fall splendor.

The ending is very sweet, but, as with many alphabet books, she gets a bit creative with the final letters of the alphabet to make the theme work. Overall, we enjoyed reading this book together and we will certainly look for more of her books at our local library.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not often that I want to read an alphabet book, but this one will be a favorite. The story about goats will catch the kids' attention, I'm sure. I wish Polacco had written an Author's Note explaining why she chose goats as her focus.

A is for Apple, the best treat of all,
B is for Billy, what boy goats are called, ...

The art, as much as the text, is part of the story. For these pages, there's an apple tree with both girl and goat reaching for a treat. The scene also has kittens and chickens, ducks and rabbits, geese and a songbird.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I attempt todescribe these illustrations, the word that comes to mind is "friendly." The goats are all so bright-eyed and cute! The text is ultra-simple with only a line for each letter. The books goes through the alphabet with a goat-related word for each letter. This would be a very nice way of introducing children to Patricia Polacco.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute alphabet picture book that tells the story of a girl and her goats. It's nice to have an alphabet book with a plot. This is also one of the few Polacco books I can think of that you can read with younger children, so it could be a good gateway book for Polacco fans to introduce her lovely artwork to children.

[Tiffany Long]

The author of “G is for goat” is Patrica Polacco and this book is a realistic fiction book. It is about the ABCs, it starts off with “A is for Apple” and you can see the goat leaping for the apple. The book takes you through what seems to be a farm, looking at all the illustrations of the different animals. This book didn’t provide an author's note or a back-matter. The illustrations in this book were realistic and colorful. If you want to find out what the goat does throughout the book you’ll have to take a read.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know that Patricia Polacco wrote an alphabet book! This one is all about goats. It's gorgeous, but not great to teaching the alphabet.

[E.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Lois Ehlert, Patricia Polacco is well-known in the world of children’s books, having written dozens of them. G is for Goat is a topical themed alphabet book based around goats in which a little girl talks about goats and their features, likes, and characteristics, each revolving around the letter of the alphabet! (A is for Apple, the best treat of all; B is for Billy, which boy goats are called). I particularly like that when words such as Billy or Kid are used, they are immediately explained to prevent confusion. There is only one sentence per page, which keeps things simple and makes it better for preschoolers who are just learning the alphabet, and although Polacco cheats a couple of times (X for eXcited and Z for Zamazing which isn’t even a real word), the letters are well represented and fit the theme of the story. The art is more detailed than any of the other books read this week, and at times there are more than 3 objects per page, but regardless of that, whatever is written in the sentence, the illustrations convey what is written on the page (e.g. U is for Up, what good climbers they make! Although there are around 12 objects on the page, they are all goats and humans which are familiar objects for preschoolers and the illustration shows them climbing up a hill, so I think this is appropriate). Although the illustrations are detailed, the objects are clear and identifiable (because every page features a goat!). Finally, the book is rhyming which is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers because, as mentioned, this helps children with phonological and phonemic awareness.

[Kelly Borton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book with rhyming alphabet text. Patricia Polacco has found inspiration for her writing from her home in Michigan where she raises goats. Each letter is represented in a simple poetic sentence with illustrations that enhance the text. The rhyme is fluid with one letter representation into the next, while creating a story about goats and their behaviors. It is a fluid, rhythmic read from one letter to the next, with anticipation of what the goat does next. This could be used in class as letter/sound recognition, finding word patterns, and building vocabulary. For example, B is for Billy, K is for Kids, N is for Nanny, O is for Oats. These are all words in relation to a goat.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This alphabet book took a unique approach to learning the alphabet. Normally, you do not see an alphabet book that is themed around a single aspect, in this case, a goat. I found it very interesting to find out what each letter would represent when it is relating to goats.

However, I did not like that it did not follow the traditional approach of an alphabet book and included sounds to represent letters of the alphabet instead of words that start with that letter. But, this is more acceptable in today's literature world.

This would be a good book to use when you want students to create their own alphabet book while sticking to a single topic and it can also be used as a starting point for a research project.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading "Mommies Say Shhhh" a few weeks ago and enjoying Polacco's goat illustrations, I was happy to see this book featured on top of the alphabet shelf at the library. My one-year-old really likes goats for some reason, so it was fun to read this one together. Sometimes I read it properly, and sometimes I "read" it by showing him the pictures and making goofy goat sounds. One thing I particularly appreciated about this book is that the letters of the alphabet are used to begin both nouns and other parts of speech, which gave the author more options for how to use each letter as part of the story.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple rhyming text and beautiful, brightly colored illustrations talk about all things related to goats. With plenty of opportunities to engage young ones in the story - we counted goats, made goat sounds and identified all of the other animals that make cameo appearances in this book. My story time audience loved this one, laughing in al the right places..."R is for ram, when they butt heads for fun. S is for spots, what they see when they are done" the illustrations of the dizzy goats, well, they are just too funny. There was also a collective "Ahh" when we arrived at Z - Z was for the three newly born baby goats curled up next to Mama. Definitely an audience pleaser.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 2/7/09 -


Very nice kids book- I liked this one a lot. It's very simple, basically one letter a page with a simple sentence to go with it and of course, all about goats.
The artwork was really cool and I liked the old fashioned little girls.
I'm big on rhyming books, as long as they're good rhymes so I may be biased towards this but I'd recommend it.
Julia had fun showing me which letters she knew already and I had another chance to teacher the ones she didn't.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I ordered this on interlibrary I thought it was a regular hardback, but this ISBN is a board book. It was a fun abc book revolving around goats and there was a slight storyline.With the slight storyline also comes info about goats and combined with Polacco's charming illustrations this was a great title for me. I always enjoy the folk art style of illustration.

[Kristen Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

G is for Goat by Patricia Polacco, is a childrens book that tells a story about goats while learning about each letter of the alphabet. This is a cute book for kids that are learning there alphabet because it ties in an actually story. Most ABC book are similas to, A is for Apple, B is for Bear, C is for Cat I just thought this book was way more enjoyable then you typical alphabet books.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. He has a thing for alphabet books.

This book is absolutely gorgeous. The illustrations are beyond beautiful, and exude charm with every line and every saturated color.

The text, however, is merely adequate. All of the charm is definitely in illustrations.

[Fibersian]

This is an alphabet book entirely about the antics of goats. Letter sounds are presented with words that match but goats provide all of the action.

Letter recognition. This also a fun book to predict what will happen with these goats as they travel through the ABCs. Letter sound knowledge can be explored by predicting what words will represent the next letter.

[Danae Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great alphabet book, probably suited for older kids, fourth to fifth grade range. The book goes through the alphabet relating every letter to something about a goat. This book would get the students minds thinking about a certain concept in this case about a goat. Its a great book and lots of activities could go along with it.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't, as a rule, use alphabet books when reading aloud to the kiddos. They tend to be long, disjointed, and boring. This one, however, was a very pleasant surprise! Not only did it read almost like a continuous story-line, but it practically worked as a nonfiction title for kids about goats! The illustrations worked wonderfully with the text and I would not hesitate to use this one again.

[Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy found this book on sale and had to get it, with memories of her childhood in mind.

I hope one day I get to experience raising goats for myself, or at least tasting them like I do Buck.

In the meantime, this is a great one to chaw on.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Patricia Polacco. I was so excited to find this book in board book form. D. is chewing up all of her books now. I need some good sturdy books that are still absolutely charming to read. This fits the bill. Only Patricia Polacco could make an alphabet book this endearing.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco is an amazing artist and storyteller as well as an entertaining speaker. I love this A-Z book with the beautiful goats that share the author's homestead in Michigan. A favorite of all my students.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco grew up raising goats on her farm in Michigan and this ABC book showcases 26 things she knows about goats in rhyming fashion. Illustrations are fun and energetic just as the goats they are depicting.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the younger readers, a poetry alphabet of goats and other human “kids” with Patricia Polacco’s wonderful illustrations. In rhyme these goats and children romp and play, and there’s a sweet surprise at the end.

[Rima Aroutiounian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a funny way to design alphabet around goats. This book is really funny and has great illustrations. Each letter and the phrases are written around the goat and their likes and dislikes. Great way for kids to learn new words and remember them.

[Niena Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

My group and I read this book as an assignment for class. I like the way the author related each word to a goat, it can be very informational in the classroom, and the illustrations were creative. I may recommend this book to a 5th grade teacher.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew there was a picture book for goat-lovers everywhere!?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

From one who raised dairy goats, the author really captures the character of the goats. It brought back fond memories of childhood for me.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a repeat for us. I love the rhythm. Most alphabet inspired books tend to take the easy way out on a letter of two. G is for Goat maintains its pep all the way to Z.