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The Nanny Goat's Kid ISBN: 9781849390781
Ross, Tony and Willis, Jeanne
Published by Andersen Press, 2011
The word play in this story is as good as the story itself, and while young children may not quite get the connection between goats and kids, they will fully enjoy the fun and mayhem. The Nanny Goat wants children desperately. Her two sisters both have children, but she can't have any of her own, so she sensibly goes out and adopts one. The only problem is that he's a little 'different' from her sisters' children. In fact, he's a tiger! The Nanny Goat is determined to be the best mum in the world, but things go wrong from the start. Her baby cries a lot because he's hungry, and she finds it hard to discover things he likes to eat. Perseverance pays off, but then the sisters announce that 'she spoils that kid.' As he grows up, the Nanny Goat's Kid becomes a little too big and strong and scares his smaller cousins with his play. 'She lets him get away with murder', the two sisters cry. As the sisters' kids go missing one by one, they accuse their cousin of eating them and dismiss him from the herd of goats. Nanny Goat goes with him and says, 'He might not be my flesh and blood, but he's my son. I'll stand by him until the day I die.' Off they go, only to be confronted by a big, grown-up tiger, who decides the Nanny Goat will make a good dinner. He also has the missing little goats in a pot in preparation for his lunch! The Nanny Goat's Kid is highly incensed and attacks the big Tiger, saying the same thing his mum has said earlier, 'They might not be my flesh and blood,' etc Of course, the big tiger retaliates, only to be attacked by the four mini kids giving him a butt in the butt (so to speak), sending him flying 'right over the moon'. The Nanny Goat's Kid is welcomed back into the family with open arms when his aunts see that he has saved their children. 'He's one of the family,' they say. This is a wonderfully wacky story, and while hardly a traditional tale about adoption, shows just how important it is to treat an adopted child as one of the family, even if they sometimes do things that are unacceptable. It also makes clear that mums who adopt are great mums and love their babies even when they are difficult. As always, Ross's pictures are an in-your-face treat!
Age: 4+