The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross

The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Buy The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Nanny Goat adopts a tiger cub with not entirely unforeseen consequences. Recommended.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: June 2011
Publisher: Andersen
ISBN: 978-1849390781
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Nanny Goat really wanted a kid – more than anything else in the world, but it wasn't possible. Her sisters told her kids weren't all they were cracked up to be and she should be grateful. Eventually she decided that she would adopt a kid. Now, we all noticed that the kid didn't really look like a kid at all. In fact he looks suspiciously like a tiger and as Nanny Goat struggled to bring him up the differences became more and more obvious. Matters came to a head when Nanny Goat's sisters' kids went missing and the sisters blamed Nanny Goat's kid. Nanny goat might not have given birth to the kid but she still saw him as her child and when the sisters said that he should leave the herd she decided to go with him.

I'm not going to tell you what happens as Jeanne Willis tells it so much better than I ever could. It's a lovely story which highlights the fact that 'family 'doesn't just mean blood relatives and that just because someone is different it doesn't mean that they are responsible when things go wrong. When push came to shove Nanny Goat's kid and her sisters' kids all realised what was important to them – and the differences simply didn't matter at all.

You'll all have spotted the moral in this story, but it's told in a very non-preachy way that makes the story more interesting than the lesson. Jeanne Willis has a way with words – she never patronises her readers and there's plenty to discuss besides the main story. There are useful introductions to points such as childlessness and adoption as well as the difficulties of bringing up children! Tony Ross' illustrations are as delightful as ever – just look at Nanny Goat struggling to hold her rather large 'kid', or the expression on her face as she looks at her sisters' kids.

It's a story which the youngest children will enjoy simply as an adventure, but older pre-schoolers will appreciate more of what's behind the tale. It's a book with a longer shelf-life than most! I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If this book appeals then we can also recommend Old Dog and Big Bad Bun by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross also by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross at Amazon.com.

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