Catch That Goat!

Catch that Goat!

By Polly Alakija

Barefoot Books, 2002

38 pages 

Multi-Cultural Literature (African)

     Catch that Goat is a fun and energetic story of a young girl who lives in Nigeria. Young Ayoka is supposed to be watching her goat but it gets away and reaks havoc in a Nigerian marketplace stealing random items from vendors along the way, including sunglasses, a dress, a boli (banana), and much more. The book follows the journey of Ayoka chasing her goat until it eventually runs back to her house along with the days loot. 

          The simple design and colorful pictures in this book make it a wonderful resource for young children. The text is placed in bubbles allowing the attention to be drawn to the illustrations. The bright illustrations from mixed mediums clearly depict the life of a Nigerian marketplace. The back of the book includes a few additional sections that introduce the culture and everyday life of  the Yoruba people.

          This book is a wonderful choice to introduce different cultures to young children. The informative sections in the back of the book provide interesting facts about the Yoruban people that would make for great discussions in a young classroom. There is also a counting element in this book for Kindergartners. Another skill this story introduces is predicting. Students can follow the clues left behind by the goat to determine where he has gone. Students can predict or draw what they think the goat will look like when Ayoka finally catches him with all the loot.