Seamus McNamus: The Goat Who Would Be King by Rob Kurtz, illustrated by Mike Lester Grades 2-4 40 pages Worthwhile Books March 2009 Hardcover     Seamus McNamus is a goat who lives with his wife, Katie, and their son, Billy, on Farmer McFadden’s farm. Life on the farm is good: Seamus, Katie and Billy make wool; the O’Donnell family of chickens lays eggs; and the cows Elizabeth and Gertie make milk. But then children stop drinking milk in favor of soda, eggs are found to have too much cholesterol, and nylon sweaters become cheaper than those made from cashmere wool. Farmer McFadden can no longer afford to keep the animals since no one wants their products anymore. Seamus McNamus tries to hit upon a solution to their collective problem (perhaps he could work as a flight attendant who says “baa-baa” to people as they are getting off an airplane?) when he finds himself chosen to serve as king for three days during the Puck Fair. At first, Seamus spends his time as king dancing, making merry, and making money. Ultimately, he learns that a king’s job is none of these things, but to teach people to believe in themselves. In the process, he makes wool sweaters, eggs and milk popular again, and thus saves Farmer McFadden’s farm. This is a droll and whimsical take on the Irish tradition of crowning a goat as king at the Puck Fair each year. First time children’s author Rob Kurtz and illustrator Mike Lester, the winner of the 2007 National Cartoonist Society Award for Best Book Illustrations, have created a gentle and delightful tale that will amuse children of all ages. As a bonus, some children might start to feel guilty enough about putting cows out of business to start drinking their milk more willingly.     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)