The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat

Lynas’s cumulative narrative tells the raucous tale of a goat, a stoat, and their boat-size quarrel in this rigorously rhymed picture book. Introductions set the tone: “This is the goat/ in the colorful coat/ that saw the stoat/ that played in the boat.” After the fashionable cud-chewer jumps, uninvited, onto Stoat’s sailboat, havoc ensues until the pair’s tussling causes them to fall overboard—naturally, into a moat. While Goat simply floats, Stoat flails anxiously. Luckily, the mustelid’s rival makes a kind, friendship-inspiring suggestion: “A stoat can float ON a goat in the moat.” Pop coloring and energetic spreads communicate the chaos of the encounter—as the two chase between the stern and bow, the tilting action requires the book be turned, as well. The unlikely crewmates’ path to camaraderie makes for a gaily reiterative readaloud that’s silly, and, eventually, sociable, too. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)