Review by Booklist Review
When a new goat, unpleasant in the extreme, arrives at the farm, gloom descends on Sunny Acres. Rebuffing any overtures at friendship, the goat just keeps his head down, scowls, and eats. That is, until he comes across a lonely and parched yellow dandelion. Moved to his core by its beauty, he begins to care for it and, in the process, mellows and allows the other animals to get closer to him. When one day a breeze blows the seeds of the weed away like the newborn spiders in Charlotte's Web, Goat panics. His new friends stay by his side as he mourns, and when the hillside subsequently sprouts a blanket of bright yellow, his joy expands and happiness returns. The story's wide pages of acrylic and oil paintings are filled with rustic colors and depict charming, distinctly Helquist angular characters, while simple declarative sentences advance the story. The gentle lesson about being open to new experiences and people (or cows), and the contentment it brings, is cheerful indeed.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When shaggy Goat arrives at Sunny Acres farm, his cantankerousness prevents him from enjoying the potential beauty and fun around him. He can't be bothered to say hello to Cow, play with the pigs, or enjoy a cool breeze. "He just kept his head down, scowled, and ate." One day, after chomping through the garden and kicking down a fence, Goat nibbles a path to the top of Sunrise Hill where a sunny, golden dandelion stops him in his tracks. As he carefully tends to this newfound wonder, his crankiness eases and he joins a game of tag with the pigs and visits with Cow and the sheep. Luckily, there are enough dandelions around to ensure Goat a cheery, friend-filled summer. Helquist (Bedtime for Bear) delivers a sweet-natured and quite literal stop-and-smell-the-flowers tale that will buoy readers, although it may also have them speculating about Goat's mood come winter. The acrylic and oil paintings depict an idyllic countryside and stalwart red barn either clouded by Goat's crabbiness or lit by radiant sun in happier times. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-A gorgeously illustrated, simply told, and emotionally complex story about anger and grief. When a friendless, grumpy goat arrives at Sunny Acres, the other animals don't know why he is so ornery and they try to befriend him. However, rebukes come swift and hard. Goat kicks, scowls, and stares at the ground. It is only when he finds a lone dandelion on a hill-painted full page, as majestically as a Van Gogh sunflower-that his anger starts to unravel. Meanwhile, Cow, the sheep, and the pigs are undeterred by his rudeness, demonstrating their power of perseverance and forgiveness, and he begins to accept their invitations. However, one fateful day Goat watches helplessly as his beloved flower blows away. Despondent and in a state of mourning, he is cared for by his friends, each in their own way. Understated writing with superb pacing and luminous and warm oil paintings using a vibrant brushwork style result in a story to ponder and pore over. The simple truths of the world's beauty and friends' loyalty are healing. Sharon Dennis Wyeth's Something Beautiful (Random, 1998), Philip C. Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGhee (Roaring Brook, 2010), and Arthur Geisert's The Giant Seed (Enchanted Lion, 2012)-also featuring the heroism of the humble dandelion-would all pair stunningly.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City (c) Copyright 2013. 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
Anyone who's done preschool storytimes knows that there can never be enough farm animal books. In this one, Grumpy Goat makes Sunny Acres Farm an unpleasant place to live for the friendly animals: "He was hungry. He was grumpy. He didn't want to share." Goat knocks down fences, chases away the playful pigs, and kicks up his heels at Cow. He eats his way through the farm and partway up a hill before coming across a little yellow flower whose petals shine brightly against the backdrop of the radiant sun that dominates the page. Because the flower reminds him of something, he stops to ponder it, then begins caring for it. Over the next few days, the other animals slowly approach and find that Goat's nature has sweetened. When the flower blows away on the wind, Goat is inconsolable, "but his friends stayed close and visited often." The story, initially a humorous one about an irascible goat, evolves into a tale about the power of caring for others, as the goat cares for the flower and his new friends care for him. Helquist's acrylic and oil paintings are luscious, conveying both the shifting moods of the animals and a gorgeous landscape with rolling clouds that may entice both children and grownups to go outside and find a dandelion, too. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An out-of-sorts goat goes back and forth between grumpy and happy in this slight tale with a murky message. Formerly a friendly farm, Sunny Acres changes with the arrival of Goat, who has never had a friend before. "He was hungry. He was grumpy. He didn't want to share." He spurns the other animals' friendly overtures and focuses on scowling and eating. But the lone dandelion in full bloom at the top of Sunrise Hill stops him in his tracks--it "remind[s] him of something." He provides water and keeps the grass around it trimmed neatly. Most notably, when the other animals approach, he doesn't chase them away or scowl, finally making friends. But his melancholy returns when the dandelion turns into a fragile puff that disappears in the breeze. Unable to cheer him up, his farmyard friends keep him companyuntil those scattered seeds bear fruit, bathing the hillside in yellow-flower sunshine. Helquist's acrylic-and-oil illustrations fail to take advantage of the obvious interplay of emotions, the palette remaining overly dark throughout most of the pages. The cartoonish animals speak volumes with their comical facial expressions, though this adds to the facile treatment of Goat's moodiness. The book fails to address the roots of Goat's bad temper or his turnaround, equating them with dandelions in the wind, and may leave readers feeling grumpy with the lack of a true problem or solution. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
