Goats

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

"Meet the Goat!" This "Farm Animals" series has a distinctly personal and almost nostalgic aura: animals and small farms shown are clean and neat, some buildings are of stone, family members are working—it's definitely not agribusiness! In each volume, ample pages bordered in a design of that animal's footprints offer engaging color photographs like one here of a majestic ibex with immense curved horns. Ten sections present topics ranging from descriptions of breeds and types through feeding, training, and caring for the animals to life cycles and history. Goat breeds include angora, Kashmir, and Toggenburg; readers will learn that goats existed nine thougsand years ago and were first tamed in Iran. A two-page spread illustrates goat features: horns, eyes, teeth, beards, feet, and stomachs. Caring for goats requires special attention to vaccinations and deworming, as well as providing exercise and clean, dry shelter. Future farmers and city kids will be interested to discover that ancient Egyptians honored wild goats and that a goat appears in the Chinese calendar; one page introduces readers to two magical goats who pulled the chariot of Thor, Norse god of thunder. For inquiring minds, a short quiz and two recommended books point to further research, while a "Frequently Asked Questions" section answers queries like "How much milk do dairy goats produce?" Unusual for the variety of information presented, the freshness of its graphic appeal, and recognition of the antiquity and traditions of animal husbandry, this series is an exceptional value for its reasonable price.