- a true story of a goat who helped during World War I
- uncommon terms (such as “trench foot” or “shell-shocked”) used
- convo: soldiers disobey orders and keep the goat with them
Type: biographical picture book
Ages: 4-8
Author: Mireille Messier
Illustrator: Kass Reich
For a book about a war, this was a pretty gentle story. Some difficulties were mentioned, such as the cold and difficult living situations in Europe, but briefly. And the closest it came to talking about death was when the war was over and “not everyone survived.” Billy was returned to the girl in Canada, from whom he had been borrowed, as a decorated war hero.
Kids will love that this is real history! The back includes some photographs of Billy along with some other interesting, relevant facts. Neat!