Beatrice's Goat

Having an afterward written by Hillary Clinton almost ruins it for me. That woman is just so awful and corrupt. But ignoring that, it is a great story with great illustrations.

This book is recommended for ages 4-8, but we checked it out of the library for my three-year-old and it's clear we will have to buy it. She wants to read it every day, and we have promised her that we will buy a goat for a girl in Africa this Christmas. The illustrations are quite beautiful, and the story is so sweet that I often find myself tearing up on the last page, even though I've read it daily for a couple of weeks now.

Beatrice lives in the village of Kisinga, Uganda with her mother and five younger brothers and sisters. Life is hard and the family is very poor. Beatrice dreams of going to school, but knows that the family probably will never have the money for books and a uniform, so that she can attend. And then one day everything changes; the family receives a goat. Beatrice names the goat Mugisa, which means lucky because her mother said the goat was their lucky gift. Soon the goat gives birth to two kids and the family's life begins to change. They have milk to drink and some to sell and in time, they are able to sell one of the kids to improve their lives even more. They build a new sturdy hut with a steel roof that won't leak and are even able to make Beatrice's dream of going to school come true..... Based on the true story of how one family was helped by Heifer Project International, an organization that donates livestock to poor communities, Page McBrier's beautiful and engaging picture book shows how different life can be in other parts of the world and how little it takes to bring hope and changes to developing countries. Her eloquent text is complimented by Lori Lohstoeter's rich and expressive illustrations and together, in a very simple, gentle way, they show youngsters how something, even as small as a goat, can lift a family out of desperate poverty and give them a better life. Perfect for children 4-8, Beatrice's Goat is an uplifting story told with great insight and a wonderful addition to all home bookshelves.

You can't do better than a book with a great message, that also has a charming story that kids love to read again and again. My daughter is 6 and has read this book many times. It's made her appreciate what she gets for dinner when she realizes that a whole family's food supply could be profoundly affected by owning one goat!

If you are trying to teach your children the value of volunteerism and sharing this book is for you! Not only is the story genuine and touching but it supports one of the best charities in existence today. Children all over the world have so much less then children born in the US and with just a simple gift of a goat you can help to change a family's life. What the story doesn't tell you are how goats/cows/chickens/pigs, etc. have also helped keep families from "selling" their young daughters into prostitution to support their families. If you want to do something worthwhile for a family much less fortunate then your own - - BUY A GOAT - - you'll be so happy you did.

This is a wonderful book which will inform children who live in the USA that many, many children in the world do not have access to free education. This book tells a story of how just one goat from Heifer Project International not only allows Beatrice to finally go to school, but the income from selling the goats milk also helps to improve her family's life. The children who read this book will have an insight on what life is like for children who live in Africa. The illustrations are beautiful and very colorful.