The Boy and the Baby Goat

Eight-year-old Charlie lives on a small farm with a red barn and a wide green field. One bright spring morning, his father brings home a baby goat with a cream and brown patched coat, soft floppy ears and a red collar with a tiny brass bell. Charlie names the kid Pip, and from that first day his new job begins: fresh water, good food, a safe place to play and someone to keep the little goat company.

Pip is playful and curious, bouncing sideways across the yard and climbing on anything he can find. When a wobbly board tips over, Charlie gently moves it away and builds a safer climbing place out of wooden crates and a flat stone. When a gate swings open on a windy day and Pip darts into the tall grass, Charlie stays calm, calls softly and holds out a handful of food until the kid trots back to him. Through these small daily moments, Charlie learns that caring for an animal means showing up every morning and every evening, even when he feels tired. This gentle farm story by Jane MEADOW can be read on Kids Tale Book.