Bill Grogan's Goat by Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Megan Tingley Books, Boston, 2002.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-316-36232-8.

The four-line tune of this classic folk song creates an easy vehicle for the tale of a goat who ate three red shirts from a clothesline, coughed them up, and flagged down a train. Mistaking three fellow barnyard travelers in turn for pieces of furniture, the goat apologizes by giving each animal one of the red shirts. At mealtime, the messy eaters get the shirts so filthy that they must be rewashed and hung up. The goat finds that he can't resist eating them off the clothesline yet again.

A funny story to sing or read out loud for todder/preschool storytime with a farm animal or train theme. The melody line is written out in the front of the book for those who need a little musical assistance.

Narrative skill in pointing out the circular plot ending. Rhyming words emphasize phonological awareness.

Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep by Teri Sloat



Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. New York, 2000.

Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-7894-2637-4.

Farmer Brown's sheep desperately chase their recently sheared wool through the washing, combing, spinning, and dyeing processes. Noting their pathetic shivering, the farmer graciously knits them a closet full of colorful cardigan sweaters to wear until their wool grows back. Told in rhyme and detailed in watercolor, this story provides a lighthearted, educational romp through wool production.

A nice addition to a sheep-themed story hour with show and tell possibilities. If someone raises sheep, is a knitter, or has a spinning wheel, those elements may be drawn in. A possible craft might be to glue cotton balls on a sheep outline.

Narrative skills are developed in describing the sequence of wool processing. Vocabulary related to sheep farming is presented.