Billy and Goat at the State Fair

by Dan Yaccarino Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Overview

Billy and Goat are best friends, but they have different styles. Billy likes to smell the roses - Goat likes to eat them! So it's no surprise that they have different ideas of how to enjoy the state fair. For Billy, the crowds and the noise are pretty intimidating. He's happy to wait in the livestock pens until the best-goat contest begins. But Goat's not one to sit when he could run. Faster than you can say butter sculpture, Goat's out of the pen and leading Billy on a merry chase. When Billy finally catches up to him, he's relieved, but also amazed. The fair is awesome! They may have missed Goat's chance to win best in show, but for Billy it's never been more clear - his best friend is the best goat ever!

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

04/13/2015
How can best friends be so different? Billy, a farm boy, is methodical and mild-mannered; Goat, a goat, is boisterous and a little impulsive. As Yaccarino (Doug Unplugged) writes, “Billy liked reading adventure stories, but Goat was always looking for real-life adventures.” Their relationship works just fine until they decide to enter the “best goat” competition at the State Fair. Could this be the opportunity for Goat to learn to curb his enthusiasm, while Billy loosens up a bit? Yaccarino doesn’t push his life lessons too hard, and his brightly colored, boldly graphic pictures are well suited to capturing the excitement and, in Billy’s case, sensory overload of a big, sprawling event (he uses a dotted line to trace their path past rides and games to reach the livestock tent). But while there are many sharp-looking vignettes (Billy spends the middle of the book chasing after Goat, who always manages to be wherever the boy isn’t looking), the characters’ personalities aren’t vivid enough to make up for a perfunctory story about mismatched but well-matched friends. Ages 3–7 Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June)

School Library Journal - Audio

10/01/2015
PreS-Gr 2—Billy and Goat are the best of friends, in spite of their differences. (Billy prefers reading adventure stories, while Goat seeks out real-life adventures.) When the state fair arrives, they enter the Best Goat competition. No sooner do the duo settle into the stall than Goat takes off, ready to experience the fair to the fullest, leading Billy on a chase that ends with the pair sitting on the biggest float in the parade. While catching his breath, Billy takes time to absorb the amazing sights. Then the buddies explore the fair: riding roller coasters, entering a pie-eating contest, and snacking on corn dogs. (Goat loves the sticks!) Unfortunately, they lose track of time and miss out on the judging. Yet they both know, blue ribbon or not, who's the real Best Goat. VERDICT Kirby Heyborne provides solid narration in this small story that wraps up a big message: best friends accept you unconditionally, give you courage to try new things, and share the fun. [A fine introduction to state or county fairs for young children": SLJ 6/1/15 review of the Knopf book.]—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

School Library Journal

06/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Billy (a boy) and Goat (a goat) are great friends and enjoy spending time together, though they do things very differently. The boy is content to read about adventure but Goat wants to live it. Billy likes the fragrance of flowers but Goat likes the taste. They both get excited about attending the upcoming state fair where Billy can enter his pal in the "Best-Goat Competition." On the big day, Goat finds the noise and the crowd thrilling but Billy is a bit overwhelmed by it all. While the goat takes full advantage of all there is to see and do at the fair, Billy spends most of his time trying to find his friend, until he realizes that he's actually enjoying himself. The competition doesn't end the way they would have liked, but they both have a great day and the boy has more confidence after his experiences. The artwork, created with brush and ink and Adobe Photoshop, contains bright, bold colors and varies from vignettes to spreads. VERDICT A fine introduction to state or county fairs for young children.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

Kirkus Reviews

2015-04-01
A shy lad and his horned, adventurous best buddy take in the state fair. The lights! The rides! The corn dogs! Though Billy prefers reading about adventures rather than having them, as his caprine friend does, news of a best-goat competition prompts him to buff up his buddy and tackle the big, bright, noisy state fair. Goat promptly chews his way loose—and from there, it's on to the log plunge and the tractor pull, a yodeling contest, corn dogs and floral displays (goat happily chows down on both), and even a ride on a float. Yaccarino portrays it all in flat, brightly colored scenes featuring a young farmer in overalls who goes from anxious to exuberant as he catches up with his eager companion and gets into the swing of things. In the end they miss the livestock competition, but before riding away in the back of a pickup beneath a sky filled with fireworks, they do come in "third (and fourth)" in the pie-eating contest. No matter: "Billy already knew who the best goat really was." As in Donald Crews' Night at the Fair (1998) (and unlike Ted Lewin's more frenetic Fair!, 1997), the crowds and carnival atmosphere come off as inviting rather than overwhelming. Billy's experience may encourage young children who share his attitude toward new adventures to screw their courage to the sticking place. (Picture book. 5-7)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175699792
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	06/30/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	Up to 4 Years

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