Don’t Let it Get Your Goat
The sheep and the goat are really upset because both of them say, “baa.” All the other animals have their own sound: a dog barks, a cow moos, even a frog ribbits. Maybe one of them should get a new sound, and have it just for themselves.
But when the goat tries, every sound he picks is already being used. When the sheep decides he will use, “zip zap wickety wack bing bang walla balla flip flap yackety yack wing ding dilly,” even that is taken. A space alien appears and states that is what he says but tells the goat and sheep they should wiffle, which is another word for sharing.
When the frog and dog say they would like to wiffle the spaceship with the alien, he throws a tantrum and leaves. After witnessing that, the sheep and the goat agree they would like to share, “baa,” and not act like the alien.
This is a great story with lots of humor, but the point of it all is taking turns and sharing is much better than anger and temper tantrums. This is a great way to talk with your child about sharing, and the good things that come from it. At the same time, you can point out the negative things that come from anger and temper tantrums.
Humor, great illustrations (also done by the author) and a story children can relate to make this a good choice. Children three to nine-years-old will enjoy this five-star book.
Thanks to Candlewick Press, for providing Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, “Zip Zap Wickety Wack,” by Matthew Diffee, for the purpose of review. Opinions are my own.
