Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 1. Mistakes and mixed-ups are standard fare for Gorbachev's familiar duo. This time the muddle--and the fun--comes from a simple misunderstanding when Goat looks out the window and sees his friend Pig crying. The line-and-wash artwork is divided into reality and fantasy. Goat gets dressed, all the while imagining what Pig's problem might be. Perhaps Pig fell down the stairs and is in pain. Maybe burglars stole the apple pie that Pig baked for their dinner. In one spread, Goat, in heart-studded boxer shorts, broods that Pig's shower overflowed the house, while the rest of the art shows Pig on the couch watching as everything from a book to a bowl of peas floats by. Being a good friend to Pig, Goat gathers a mop, bakes a cabbage pie, and prepares other remedies to solve Pig's possible problems. However, once Goat arrives at Pig's, the reason for the tears becomes obvious: Pig is grating onions. The premise isn't all that clever, but the execution is excellent. Fun for one-on-one sharing or for reading aloud to a group. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-This is the fourth book about Goat and Pig, neighbors with big imaginations. Here, Goat wakes up on the morning of a dinner date at his friend's house and notices through Pig's window that he is crying. After imagining several catastrophic scenarios, he thinks of ways he can help in each case and arrives at Pig's house with solutions in hand, only to find his pal in tears as he cuts onions for the stew. Goat joins in, cutting and crying, and the two friends eventually sit down to dinner, satisfied with their collaborative effort-because "that's what friends are for!" Gorbachev shows a sure gift for creating good stories that speak directly to young children's concerns. He uses humor and brevity, combined with colorful watercolor illustrations of his animal protagonists (reminiscent of Paul Galdone's work), to entertain and gently inform young readers. With its emphasis on the true meaning of friendship, this offering would definitely be a good choice for storytime, as well as a popular checkout.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Invited to dinner by his friend Pig, Goat spends the day worrying about the tears he spies Pig shedding, speculating on their cause and concocting remedies. The book is a warm display of friendship and a caution against unnecessary worry. Soft-colored drawings supply details for the simple text. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Gorbachev's congenial Goat and Pig return in a pleasing story showing the lengths one friend will go to ensure the comfort of another. In savory watercolors and pen-and-ink, readers find Goat rising for a new day and looking forward to dinner that night with his friend and neighbor, Pig. When Goat looks out the window, he sees Pig weeping uncontrollably in his kitchen. Goat is smitten with concern: Could Pig have hurt himself or had his flowerbed trashed; did someone snitch his newly baked pie; did he scorch his favorite shirt while ironing? It's Goat to the rescue. He rounds up mops and games and new shirts, bakes a new pie, cuts fresh flowers from his garden, generally covers all possible contingencies only to learn when he arrives at Pig's door that the tears are as easy to explain as cutting an onion. Tender, but also full of energetic concern, Gorbachev's story will keep young readers in suspense, right up to the slice of the knife. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
