Word Seeds

Beatrice’s Goat
By Page McBrier, Illustrations by Lori Lahstoeter
Afterword by Hillary Rodham Clinton
2004, Aladdin Paperbacks (Simon and Schuster)
Review by Debra L Scott, 12/14/2011

Commissioned by the charity Heifer International (www.heifer.org/ ), Beatrice’s Goat is based on a true story. In a small African village, young Beatrice wants to go to school with her friends but her family can’t afford the books and uniforms necessary for her to attend. One day, her mother receives a goat, courtesy of the Heifer program. Beatrice is given the task of taking care of it, and selling the milk at market. She earns enough money to go to school and her family is able to afford other things they need, like, a blanket for her bed and a shirt for her brother.

The story is well written and beautifully illustrated, and children who enjoy stories about children from other countries will certainly enjoy this one. However, it is quite blatantly a plug for the work done by Heifer International, showing how one farm animal can make a huge difference in the life of families in undeveloped countries. Their point of view is not to relieve poverty for the whole world, but to improve the life of one family at a time. At the end of the story, Beatrice’s friend expresses the wish that he too could receive an animal to help his family. Beatrice tells him that she heard he is next on the list. I would have enjoyed it more without the obvious charity commercial format.

Note that “2% of the publisher’s proceeds” are donated to Heifer. Personal disclosure: Reviewer donates to Heifer International. (  )