Tom Percival

Christine Pym

This charmingly illustrated rhyming picture book about Alfonzo, a goat with a very special coat, celebrates the power of kindness and friendship. Let me tell you the tale of Alfonzo the goat, who was terribly proud of his lovely new coat. Alfonzo was happy; he pranced and he skipped. Then he heard a sad noise, croaking out of a ditch. Alfonzo couldn’t be happier. He just got an amazing new coat, and he feels like a million dollars. But when he discovers some creatures in need of help, will Alfonzo be able to give up his treasured possession to save the day? This great big hug of a book shows that kindness is definitely the best recipe. Awards for Tom Percival Herman’s Letter–A Kids’ Indie Next List Pick

Goat's Coat

Mitchell Sharmat

Jose Aruego

Ariane Dewey

Gregory, the Terrible Eater, wants orange juice and eggs for breakfast. His parents are terribly upset! Why can’t Gregory eat striped ties and violins, like the rest of the goats? Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey have entered into the spirit of Mitchell Sharmat’s upside-down, turned-around world with bold, wacky, expressive illustrations. The trio’s exuberant collaboration provokes healthy laughter and even includes a colorful chart which gives fresh meaning to the concept of “junk food.”

Gregory, the Terrible Eater

Jacob Grant

Goat has always dreamed of having his very own space. But Goat lives in a petting zoo, surrounded by hugs and rubs and grabby little hands. Determined to find his perfect alone space, Goat escapes into the big zoo. But space is not an easy thing to find, in this humorous picture book from Jacob Grant, Through with the Zoo.

Through with the Zoo

Amy Young

When Lucy sees an ad in the newspaper for a unicorn, she sends in her twenty-five cents and waits four to six long weeks for her very own unicorn to arrive. She imagines the flowers that she’ll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny—and oh, he has fleas. Lucy isn’t pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realizes that even though he wasn’t exactly the unicorn she wanted, he might be just the one she needs.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle

Page McBrier

Lori Lohstoeter

More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor.
But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away – a goat! Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (which means “luck”) gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa’s help, it looks as if Beatrice’s dream may come true after all.

Page McBrier and Lori Lohstoeter beautifully recount this true story about how one child, given the right tools, is able to lift her family out of poverty. Thanks to Heifer Project International – a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world – other families like Beatrice’s will also have a chance to change their lives.

Beatrice's Goat

Anna Dewdney

Llama Llama likes to sing.
Gilroy laughs at everything.
Llama sings out just the same.
Gilroy says a not-nice name.
Teacher has some things to say:
calling names is not OK.

Llama Llama is learning lots of new things at school and making many friends. But when Gilroy Goat starts teasing him and some of their classmates, Llama Llama isn’t sure what to do. And then he remembers what his teacher told him—walk away and tell someone. It works! But then Llama Llama feels badly. Can he and Gilroy try to be friends again?

Llama Llama and the Bully Goat

Jerry Pinkney

A classic read-aloud favorite addressing bullying retold by acclaimed artist Jerry Pinkney.

Jerry Pinkney puts his indelible stamp on another beloved folktale in the same vein as the Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion &amp;amp;amp; the Mouse and the highly acclaimed The Tortoise &amp;amp;amp; the Hare and The Grasshopper &amp;amp;amp; the Ants.

When the three billy goats Gruff are hungry, they see bountiful grass to eat across an old bridge. But the bridge is home to a terrible troll, who is peckish himself, and looking for a tasty morsel to gobble up. In his interpretation of the timeless tale, Jerry Pinkney shows there’s little good to come from greed–but in the end, redemption for even the most trollish bully is possible. A dramatic gatefold heightens the climax of this brilliant rendition.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

The fourth book in the A Unicorn Named Sparkle series features pumpkins, silly adventures, and of course, a sparkly friendship ― perfect for Autumn!

Lucy and our favorite unicorn are back in Sparkle the Unicorn and the Pumpkin Monster. Lucy and Sparkle love Halloween, especially at Frank’s Pumpkin Farm. They get to run through corn mazes, play games, decorate pumpkins, and most importantly: eat a lot of cider donuts.

But Lucy and Sparkle discover one big difference between them ― Lucy loves to be scared every once in awhile. Sparkle? Not so much.

When Lucy takes the scary part of Halloween one step too far for Sparkle, she must comfort her frightened unicorn pal ― and win back his trust.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Pumpkin Monster

Bob Shea

Ever since Unicorn moved into the neighborhood, Goat has been feeling out of sorts. Goat thought his bike was cool-until he saw that Unicorn could fly to school! Goat made marshmallow squares that almost came out right, but Unicorn made it rain cupcakes! Unicorn is such a show-off, how can Goat compete? When Goat and Unicorn share a piece of pizza, Goat learns that being a unicorn might not be all it’s cracked up to be. And when Unicorn shows his admiration for Goat, it looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great

Marc Tyler Nobleman

Ana Aranda

With its hilarious dialogue, trio of bumbling goats, and fantastically zany villain, this unique, laugh-out-loud story based on a legendary monster is sure to crack up kids and grown-ups alike. 

Like most goats, Jayna, Bumsie, and Pep’s greatest fear is being eaten for dinner by the legendary chupacabra—it’s common knowledge that goats are a chupacabra’s favorite food! One night, tired of living in fear, the impetuous goats whip out their trusty candelabra and head off to find the beast and scare it away before it can find them. Little do they know that candelabras are the chupacabra’s third-favorite food . . . and he isn’t about to stop there. This chupacabra has quite the appetite, and the goats are in for a big surprise!

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra

Steve Brace

Annie Kubler

Salamatu’s goat follows her to school, leading to a series of misadventures. Provides an insight into life in Ghana and allows comparisons to our own country. Published in conjunction with Action Aid.

Salamatu and Kandoni Go Missing

Leanne Laurciella

Jill Howarth

Polly and Her Duck Costume tells the true story of Polly, a little blind goat who was rescued by Leanne Lauricella, rescuer of farmyard animals and founder of the immensely popular Instagram account The Goats of Anarchy. Polly has some trouble adapting to her new life until her new mom gives her a warm and fuzzy duck costume, which turns out to be the perfect fit! Follow along with Polly as she finds love with her new family, gains confidence, and makes new friends. The perfect tale to inspire and delight animal lovers, Polly and Her Duck Costume pairs beautiful illustrations with a truly heartwarming tale readers of all ages will adore.

Polly and Her Duck Costume

Tom Angleberger

Cece Bell

Hoping to become the greatest detective that ever grew, Inspector Flytrap, a Venus flytrap, and his assistant, Nina the Goat, investigate “big deal” mysteries at an art museum, a cookie shop, and a garden.

Inspector Flytrap

Bernette Ford

Sam Williams

Bernette Ford and Sam Williams, the creators of No More Diapers for Ducky!, No More Bottles for Bunny!, and the other “No More” books, are back with another sweet entry in their popular series.
It’s Billy Goat’s first day at school, and he feels lost and lonely. Even though he really wants to join in the fun and games, he just doesn’t know how. Billy Goat gets so frustrated that he even bites Piggy, Lambkin, and Bunny! But with a little gentle guidance from sympathetic Ducky, he learns that teeth are for biting food—not your friends.

No More Biting for Billy Goat!

Annemarie van Haeringen

Greta the goat is a wonderfully accomplished knitter. She can even knit little goats and turn them loose to play around her feet. But when she gets distracted from her knitting, threatening creatures spring from her needles, each more menacing than the last. It takes quick thinking, courage, and brilliant knitting for Greta to find her way out of a perilous situation. In this whimsical story, creativity and craft empower our heroine to restore her safety . . . as long as she pays attention to what is growing on her knitting needles!

How to Knit a Monster

Larissa Theule

Gianna Marino

Water Buffalo and Crane’s field is dry, empty, and hot–so hot that they can barely think of anything else. Every day is the same . . . Until one day, they hear something new. “How do you do?” When Goat dances into their lives, Water Buffalo and Crane can’t help but join in. Suddenly their field doesn’t seem dry, empty, and hot at all. Even after Goat dances away, their world is no longer so small. This beautiful story about widening your horizons and making new friends, brought to life with stunning illustrations by Gianna Marino, shows how all it takes is one special friend to change your world.

How Do You Do?

Hazel Quintanilla

Sing along to the time-honored nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, illustrated for very young children by Hazel Q. 

About the Hazel Q. Nursery Rhymes series: Nursery rhymes are the classic introduction for babies and young children to the idea of storytelling. While delighting in the rhyming words and appealing illustrations featuring animal characters, children are boosting their language development and learning social skills. With spot UV enhancements throughout the book for little fingers, these sturdy board books are designed to withstand much love and learning making them wonderful additions to baby’s first library.

Jack and Jill

Unicorns are more popular than ever! Get in on the fun with the third book about a unicorn named Sparkle. This one is all about Sparkle’s first Christmas.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle's First Christmas

Nikki Slade Robinson

Muddle is planning an extra-special picnic for best friend Mo. Muddle loves worms. Mo does not. Will Mo like Muddle’s worm surprise picnic?

Muddle & Mo's Worm Surprise

Petr Horacek

A very greedy goat wreaks havoc in the barnyard in an entertaining cautionary tale from Petr Horcek. Goat is tired of always eating herbs and grass. She wants to try something new! So one day she embarks on a tasting spree, trying the dog’s food, the pig’s potato peels, and more, with the farmer’s underpants topping off a massive meal. Pretty soon, everyone else around the farm starts to notice that certain things have gone missing – including a now elusive Goat herself. It turns out that all that adventurous eating has left her feeling quite ill, prompting a recovery that plays out with a nod to another (very hungry) children’s favorite: “On Monday, her eyes stopped rolling. On Tuesday, her tummy stopped rumbling. . . .” After Goat is finally feeling like herself again, surely she’ll have learned her lesson. Won’t she?

The Greedy Goat

Adam Rubin

Crash McCreery

A long time ago, a girl named Carla lived on a goat farm with her father, Hector. One night, a goat disappeared from the farm and turned up flat as a pancake. Only one creature could do that–El Chupacabras, the goatsucker! Legend has it that El Chupacabras is a fearsome beast, but you can’t believe everything you hear…and sometimes the truth is even more interesting.

El Chupacabras

Muddle and Mo are the best of friends. Muddle is a loveable, slightly confused yet enthusiastic little duckling. Mo is a long-suffering, not very adventurous goat with lots of patience. Today, Muddle is preparing a surprise picnic for Mo. Mo doesn’t like worms, so will he like what’s in the basket?

A picture book starring Sparkle and Lucy about what happens when your best friend makes a new pal.

A New Friend for Sparkle

Muddle is a little confused - is best friend Mo, a duck or a goat? Is Muddle a duck or a goat? Fortunately Mo helps him work everything out. A gentle book about friendship and accepting differences.

Muddle & Mo

Andrea Tsurumi

Mo Willems

Goat likes to lead. Goat also likes Frog to follow. When Goat jumps on it, Frog does, too. Soon Goat and Frog are on it, along it, above it, inside it, beside it, around it, and under it–phew! How can their friendship get through it?

I'm on It!

Caron Levis

Charles Santoso

From the award-winning team behind Ida, Always comes a story about a friendship that grows between a blind horse and a gruff goat

All the animals at the Open Bud Ranch can see that Jack likes keeping his space to himself. But when Charlie arrives, he doesn’t see Jack at all. He’s still getting used to seeing out of only one of his eyes.

The two get off to a bumpy start. At first, Jack is anxious and distrustful. But one day, he summons his courage and guides Charlie to his favorite sunlit field: this way, Charlie. And so begins a powerful friendship that will be tested by life’s storms—but will ultimately change each life for the better.

This Way, Charlie

Joey Goat likes to play jokes on folks…until he learns how it feels to have a joke played on him!

Joey Goat

Meet Goat Girl and Merle: an irresistible pair of characters who show young readers that the best friendships are built on more than first impressions. Goat Girl–an adventurous goat–lives on Humdrum Farm, a place where everything is ordinary, and she’s looking for some excitement . When she meets Merle–a bull–she mistakes him for a cowboy since he’s both a cow and a boy. Cowboys aren’t ordinary so Goat Girl can’t wait to introduce herself. “HOWDY COWBOY!An annoyed Merle insists he’s not a cowboy. But will this not-a-cowboy change his mind when his rootin’-tootin’ dream has a chance to come true?Saddle up and find out in this hilarious, rollicking unlikely friendship story perfect for fans of Jory John’s Goodnight Already!, Ryan T. Higgins’s Mother Bruce, and Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey.

Cow Boy Is Not a Cowboy

Tao Nyeu

Six frolicking bunnies, two busy goats, and a very handy bear live harmoniously–though not without mishap–in this picture book charmer. What do the bunnies do when Mr. Goat drives by on his tractor and accidentally splashes them all over with mud? They hop over to Bear, who always knows just how to help–in this case, with the delicate cycle and a refreshing line dry! Two additional stories are even more surprising and giggle-worthy. All’s well that ends well in this eye-catching, endearing treat of a book, full of funny details and exhilarating artistry. Watch a Video

Bunny Days

Susan Middleton Elya

Miguel Ordónez

Humor abounds in this masterfully-bilingual twist on The Three Billy Goats Gruff that dares to ask the question: why is that troll so grumpy anyway? Three little cabritos have a clever plan to get past the grumpiest troll in the land. But then one of the billy goats wonders: Why is that gigante so grumpy, anyway? This thoughtful question sends their plan in a new direction, and the results are better than they ever imagined. Dashes of humor, empathy, and kindness make this modern twist on a classic tale a charming delight.

The Three Billy Goats Buenos

Dan Richards

Eric  Barclay

A twisted fairy tale about a king and queen who wish for a child of their own . . . and end up with a baby goat. Perfect for readers of Children Make Terrible Pets and Wolfie the Bunny. “A funny and redemptive fairy tale.”–The Wall Street Journal Once upon a time, a very prim and proper king and queen begged their fairy godmother for a child. They’d prefer a boy, with glowing skin, bright eyes, and two roses for lips . . . but any kid will do. When they find themselves gifted with a baby goat (also known as a kid) instead, they can’t imagine how he’ll fit into their lives. But of course, it isn’t long before he’s part of the royal family. Readers will delight in this story’s hilarity, confusion, and celebration of families that come in every shape and size. “A fresh, amusing, kindhearted picture book.”–Booklist, Starred review”With its gentle morals of acceptance, not judging by appearances, and being open to outcomes different than expectations, this is a lovely family read-aloud.”–Kirkus”The contrast between the royal couple’s once-ordered existence and the cheerful mess at book’s end is very funny, and the message about acceptance and the expanded definition of family is a bonus.”–Horn Book

Once Upon a Goat

Patricia Polacco

Letter by letter, meet cart-pulling goats; clothes-munching goats; head-butting, hill-climbing, tail-wagging goats! Cats, chicks, dogs, and bunnies play along with these friendly goats, joining in the fun. From A is for Apple to Z is for Zoe, these rascally animals just won’t stop until they’ve romped through the whole alphabet. Patricia Polacco, beloved author and proud owner and friend of many goats, has created another wonderful book to be treasured by all.

G Is for Goat

The famous Polacco goats are back! In this playful interactive chant, three mischievous little goats find their way out of the gate (squeak, squeak, squeak!), over a bridge (click, click, click!) through some mud (squish, squish, squish!), onto a carousel (um pah pah pah, um pah pah!)…and right into the path of an angry ogre! Of course, they are happy to turn right around and run straight back over the path they traveled, until at last they are back home gain, safe and sound. Patricia Polacco’s color palette is bright and springlike in her second goat adventure for very young readers.

Oh, Look!

Paul Galdone

The three goat brothers brave the terrible troll in a colorful version of the classic tale. “The large, lively, double-page spreads are sure to win a responsive audience at story hour.” – School Library Journal

Three Billy Goats Gruff

Mireille Messier

Kass Reich

A delightful tale inspired by the true story of a brave goat war hero. Perfect for fans of Finding Winnie and Rescue and Jessica.

During World War I, a goat named Billy was adopted by a platoon of soldiers and made his way across the ocean to be part of the war effort.

Billy . . .
  •   Trained with the soldiers
  •   Was smuggled across the ocean
  •   Got snuck into the frontlines in a box of oranges
  •   Ate some secret documents and was arrested for treason
  •   Got trench foot
  •   Head-butted soldiers into a trench and saved them from a shell
  •   Came back home a decorated war hero

This charming true story follows Sergeant Billy from his small prairie town to the trenches of World War I and back, through harrowing moments, sad moments, moments of camaraderie and moments of celebration. This unforgettable goat and the platoon that loved him will capture your heart!

Top 10 Goats Books