Grumpy Goat

PreS-Gr 3—A gorgeously illustrated, simply told, and emotionally complex story about anger and grief. When a friendless, grumpy goat arrives at Sunny Acres, the other animals don't know why he is so ornery and they try to befriend him. However, rebukes come swift and hard. Goat kicks, scowls, and stares at the ground. It is only when he finds a lone dandelion on a hill-painted full page, as majestically as a Van Gogh sunflower-that his anger starts to unravel. Meanwhile, Cow, the sheep, and the pigs are undeterred by his rudeness, demonstrating their power of perseverance and forgiveness, and he begins to accept their invitations. However, one fateful day Goat watches helplessly as his beloved flower blows away. Despondent and in a state of mourning, he is cared for by his friends, each in their own way. Understated writing with superb pacing and luminous and warm oil paintings using a vibrant brushwork style result in a story to ponder and pore over. The simple truths of the world's beauty and friends' loyalty are healing. Sharon Dennis Wyeth's Something Beautiful (Random, 1998), Philip C. Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGhee (Roaring Brook, 2010), and Arthur Geisert's The Giant Seed (Enchanted Lion, 2012)-also featuring the heroism of the humble dandelion-would all pair stunningly.—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City