THE QUEEN'S GOAT

The Queen is a child who has no pets because the butler and housekeeper have ruled out dogs and cats ("hair on the cushions...mud all over the palace"). There is, however, a friendly "working goat," Carmen, who trims the orchard grass. When word comes of a pet show, the Queen's natural determination reigns; unhooking Carmen's chain, she also unleashes the goat's yearning for the distant mountains, and the two go careening over the countryside, inadvertently collecting enough comical laundry, flags, tambourines, and the like on Carmen's person to win a prize at the pet show when they arrive, by "remarkable coincidence," exhausted enough to slow down and just in time. A more predictable scenario than usual for Mahy, but the contrast between her no-nonsense narrative style and droll details will entertain, while Clark's wide-eyed, insouciant characters and pell-mell action in a serene landscape add to the fun. (Picture book. 4-8)