Shake it off

A winsome little white goat with a bright kerchief around her neck, this picture book's protagonist loves to climb and sing nonstop--digitally colored drawings, rendered in bucolic sunny tones, show joyful notes cascading from her mouth. But the neighbors, portrayed with brown skin, are not charmed when the goat mounts their roof. "That goat is driving me nuts!" they complain, and when the animal falls down a well, they choose not to rescue her, instead filling the well with dirt while she's still trapped inside. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?" bright typography asks as the goat looks straight at readers with incredulous eyes. With a refrain of "Shake it off. Pack it under!" the goat quickly begins to shift the accumulating shovelfuls of dirt beneath her feet, gradually lifting herself to safety. Brantley-Newton (Becoming Vanessa) prefaces this folktale-feeling story of adversity overcome with the assurance that it will end happily, but the casual cruelty and visceral sense of peril may nevertheless alarm some readers, even if the goat is ultimately triumphant and wins the humans' respect. An author's note concludes. Ages 3--7. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (June)

After a fall down a well, a little goat saves herself with her tenacity and her song. With brilliantly saturated colors, showy full-bleed illustrations, and evocative depictions of music, this tale looks incredibly inviting, and its ungulate protagonist makes an undeniably appealing first impression. But wherever readers think this cheerful-looking story might go, they're probably wrong. Sure, a note promising a happy ending hints that there might be darkness along the way, but most readers will have no clue what they're in for. Little Goat irritates the neighbors with her enthusiastic climbing and caterwauling. After she falls into a deep well with no clear path for rescue, the neighbors decide to skip the pleasantries and give her a "decent burial." ("It's sad, but she was pretty annoying," they reason.) As they begin shoveling dirt, Little Goat, showcasing surely the most incredulous goat face in kid lit history, persists. She sings to encourage herself to "shake it off. Pack it under" until she rises from the hole; the neighbors now gaze at her in admiration. Readers learn little about the protagonist beyond her quirks; Little Goat is a bit of a one-note character. But the narration is agreeably conversational, and children will root for Little Goat as she uses traits perceived as faults to save herself. A tale likely to strike a chord with fans of the unconventional. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.