SHEEP & GOAT CLIMB THE WORLD

One sheep. One goat. Two inflated egos.

“I can climb higher than you can,” says a mountain sheep to a mountain goat. “Nonsense! I was born to climb,” responds the goat. The sheep shows off its special talent by jumping onto…a turtle’s back. Not to be outdone, the goat fearlessly hops onto…a tree stump. The competition escalates, and soon Sheep and Goat are leaping on top of a bus headed to the airport, where they board a commercial plane. The adversaries end up roaming the world in an epic one-upmanship battle whose seriousness is undercut by the dorky wordplay of their exchanges—e.g., “It’s clear to me-o, I am the champion here in Rio!” says Goat while sitting on the Christ the Redeemer statue; “Well, I can Peruse everything from up here!” says Sheep while gazing out over Machu Picchu. But a mutual crisis—they’re both stuck atop what appears to be the Himalayas—spurs a eureka moment for the two enemies. Maybe they should work together. Paolini combines familiar picture-book ingredients (animals, competition, silliness) into a wholly original mending-fences story. The tourism industry might be well served by promoting the book’s featured attractions with Arnaldo’s handsome depictions (provided she Photoshops out the fractious animals first): Her art, in watercolor, gouache, and pencil crayon, gives the goofiness a dignified look.

A droll tale about the folly of braggadocio.