HarperCollins, 2009, $17.99ISBN: 978-0061542671
Age/Grade Level: 4-8 years
Esme’s grandfather had promised to buy her a pet at the county auction. None of the farm animals up for auction seemed to be right. The pigs were too stinky; the Holstein cow was too big. A sign on a wooden fence read “Trudy”, Free to a Good Home. Esme peeked over the wooden fence and found the perfect pet—a goat! Trudy took up residence in a small red barn in her grandparents' little yard right next to the apple tree. Esme took good care of Trudy. She seemed like an ordinary goat until one day when she showed a talent for predicting snow. Soon her talent for being a goat weather-forecaster became known to the neighbors and the local newspaper and TV channel. One day as the neighbors gathered, the TV channel set up cameras near Trudy’s small red barn and the newpaper reporter stood ready, Trudy went into the barn as usual before a snowfall. This time it didn’t snow. Soon everyone left, disappointed. Esme was concerned that Trudy was sick. But the next day Esme found out why Trudy stayed in the barn. She gave birth to a baby.
Reviewer: Patricia Campbell, Orange County Public Library/La Palma Branch
