Kid by Peter Carnavas

Kid is a young goat living on a farm amidst chickens, pigs, sheep and cows (and an occasional feathered visitor). Kid lives with the hard story related by Audrey the hen, of parents that were chased away by a fox, leaving him abandoned to the in-farm nurture of animals who are not ‘his own kind’. The dream of finding his family and living in the wild requires bravery that must be developed alongside his innate goat (Greatest Of All Time?) identity. And to do this he would be leaving behind the farm and its security. Can this little kid, named Kid, find where he truly belongs? 

This is a story with immense heart, a little bit of a quest mingled with danger, and a resolution that suggests that family may be found in a farmyard. The journey through ‘the wild’ has some inherent risks that Kid must overcome; young readers should be able to cope with a few ‘adrenaline moments’ that are quickly resolved when friends step in unexpectedly. Kid grows in maturity and goat-talent as the story progresses … but he is always a miniature goat. This charming and emotional reading journey has all of Peter Carnavas’ story-telling wisdom and his simple illustrations add his usual visual charm. Readers aged 6-8 will be delighted by this book and as an early Quest genre it introduces a story-type that may lead to other discoveries of this type of story. (Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda would be an older reader Quest story.) Farmyard adventures with heart eg Charlotte’s Web may be a suitable next read! This book though would make a great read-aloud delight for younger Junior Primary classes or as a bedtime shared story.

Themes: Family, Quest, Adventure, Independence, Farm animals, Goats, Bravery.

Carolyn Hull