School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Huck the mountain goat is a good climber and an avid muncher. "Like most goats, Huck will eat most things. Cardboard boxes. Woolly gloves. Birds' nests." However, what inspires him to great heights-literally-are flowers. This is the story of one goat's ambition, punctuated by a progression of funny mishaps. Taylor has designed a participatory adventure, using exclamations and questions to involve his audience. "But look! What's that?" "Uh-oh...Huck's not going to...is he?" (The answer to which is almost always, "He is! He can't resist!") These words jump off the page in a large font. Reynolds enhances the book with artwork done in watercolors, ink, and tea, along with clever perspectives, appealing colors, and a large dose of humor. Huck's bug-eyed, gangly energy is engaging. A delightful story for any occasion.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With buckteeth and goggle eyes, Huck the goat is a flower-devouring hero with his share of ups and downs: up a precarious mountain and (falling) down to the village below, up a church spire to eat a flowered hat and (after a change of heart) down to return it to the grateful owner. In a departure from his more gently inspirational books, Reynolds proves that his loose ink-and-watercolor illustrations can adeptly convey action-and broad comedy-as he and Taylor play up the twisty misadventures that befall Huck. Each event is accompanied by interactive prompts ("UH-OH... he's not going to eat Mrs. Tuppleton's flowery underpants, is he? He is! He can't resist!"). Both author and artist play up the humor throughout; instead of grabbing flowers after a near-miss with a train, Huck ends up with "something else" in his teeth-a roll of pink toilet paper. Taylor's mainly unrhymed text switches to verse whenever Huck makes a grab for his beloved flowers: "He's up on the bridge without hesitation/. He's a clickety-clackety, climbing sensation!" The repeated exclamations are sure to have young readers joining in. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.