Chic the Queens Goat (Picture Puffin) [Paperback]

Margaret Mahy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993 | Series: Picture Puffin

A goat called Carmen whizzes off like a hairy rocket, Queen in tow, when she should be entering a pet show. Chaos ensues, but finally the show is won, and Carmen becomes the official royal pet. By the author of "The Haunting" and "The Changeover", which both won the Carnegie Medal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although not up to Mahy's usual standards, this story still qualifies as a romp. A young queen wishes for a pet, but is overruled by her housekeeper and the butler: too messy. An invitation to a pet show proves irresistible, however, and when the queen liberates the gardener's goat, Carmen, the fun begins. Carmen drags the diminutive monarch across the countryside, charging through clotheslines at hurricane speed, trampling flowers right and left, spearing tambourines belonging to a pair of dancers. Of course the two of them end up at the pet show, where Carmen, resplendent in her purloined regalia, wins the prize for best-dressed pet. These are exactly the sort of madcap monkeyshines that lend themselves to Clark's frothy watercolors and the wide-eyed characters who people them. All told, it's a diverting bit of fluff. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- The queen has everything a young monarch could want--except a pet of her own. She is forbidden to have a cat (they spread hair on the cushions) or a dog (they track mud into the palace). She visits a goat that also happens to be a royal gardener's lawn mower. Carmen likes to perch atop her goathouse and pine for the mountains that she sees over the palace walls. The queen, however, has plans to enter the animal in the village pet show, and the battle of wills ensues in a madcap race that takes them through clotheslines, naval flags, flamingo dancers, and flower beds. The tangled pair reaches the park just in time for the judging, and, predictably, Carmen receives the award for the "best-dressed pet in the parade." Each page is dominated by Clark's watercolor cartoons, which have a preponderance of pastel greens, blues, purples, and pinks. They blend well with the fast-paced story, and show enough action, emotion, and detail to keep readers' interest piqued. Individual readers will find this a satisfying story, and small-group audiences will have great fun with the chaotic hilarity. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140543724
• ISBN-13: 978-0140543728
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,598,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding children's writers today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of An Order of New Zealand, the highest honor a citizen can receive. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.