Boy and the Goats Book

When a boy can not retrieve his goats from a neighboring field, a rabbit, fox, wolf, and bee come to his aid. Only one of them is successful.

Children's Literature

When a little boy loses control of his goats and they go somewhere they do not belong, he is really in a fix. The various animals who come to help him all have good intentions but, in the end, it is an unlikely assistant who gets the little boy's goats back where they belong. The strong sequencing in this reprint of Margaret Hillert's classic beginning-to-read title helps young children anticipate and read independently. The fact that the format for Ms. Hillert's books is always limited vocabulary and plenty of sight words also makes this a good fit for beginning readers. Although the original story is certainly short enough to share with preschoolers, this new expanded version is better suited for children entering or already a part of formal reading instruction in kindergarten, first, or second grade because of the addition of extension activities. These activities focus on the five key components on teaching reading as identified by the National Reading Panel in their 2000 report and require more sophisticated abilities than most preschoolers have. The emphasis on shared reading as a way to help these beginning readers to improve their fluency does make this a good fit for sending home as a read-aloud with parents.