Picture Book Pleasure Reading: The Goat Lady by Jane Bregoli

Title:
The Goat Lady

Bibliographic Information:
Bregoli, J. (2004). The goat lady. Gardiner, Maine: Tilbury House, Publishers.


Weekly Requirement:
Pleasure Reading Picture Book

Plot Description:
The Goat Lady is based on author Jane Bregoli's childhood neighbor Noelie Lemire Houle. Houle was a French Canadian woman born in 1899 who lived near Bregoli and who also owned many goats, which lead to her being called the goat lady. In the beginning of the book no one knows who the goat lady is and many of the neighbors complain about her goats. One day she comes into her yard and invites Bregoli and her sister to meet the goats. The girls develop a friendship with the goat lady and begin to visit her and play with the goats. They learn the goat lady first raised goats to help recover from severe arthritis by drinking their milk, and that when she was better she raised more goats to help other people feel better too. Their mother decides to paint pictures of the goat lady and they are hung in the town hall. The neighbors see the paintings and become more accepting of the goat lady and her goats. The goat lady becomes famous in her community, but still remains humble with a great love for her goats.


Quantitative Reading Level:
Lexile 970 Nonconforming text


Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The book is told from the point of view of the narrator, the author. The book includes painted illustrations. The word kid in the book is used to mean two different things, either human offspring or baby goats. The goat lady refers to the little goats as her kids, which is intended to have two different meanings. The language is American English.


Content Area:

Literature

Maine Common Core Content Area Standard:
Reading-Literature Third Grade CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2


Curriculum Suggestion:
This is a great book to second and third graders at the beginning of spring. Spring is when many farm animals give birth, and one of the goat lady's goats gives birth to triplets! It is also a great example of a biography and would be an excellent book to teach elementary age children how to write a biography for a writing assignment.

Personal Thoughts:
The paintings in this book are done with rich, vivid, beautiful colors 

Themes:
An important theme in this book it to not judge people based on their appearances.  The goat lady is an older woman who wore mismatching clothes and lived in a dilapidated house, something that both children and adults might think is strange or weird, but when the author and her sister got to know the goat lady they saw she was a wonderful person. Another important theme is the importance of sharing, which the goat lady shows by raising goats to help other people.

Awards:
Henry Bergh Children's Book Award, Humane Heroes - ASPCA 2004,
Teacher's Choice Award -- International Reaing Association, 2005