Little Apple Goat by Carolyn Jayne Church.

Little Apple Goat is an ordinary goat except she likes eating apples and other fruit in the orchard much more than she likes nibbling on laundry or grass.  When a large storm blew in and ruined the orchard, Little Apple Goat was very sad.  She watched the logs from the trees being hauled away but then cheered up as she thought of the wood heating the farmer’s house.  When spring came, Little Apple Goat notices some flowers over the hedge but doesn’t pay much attention until the blossoms are replaced in the fall by fruit!  Her spitting of seeds over the hedge as she munched has grown the farm a new orchard.

OK, so I do have some issues with the speed of the growth of the orchard and the fact that the flowers on the other side of the hedge bear no resemblance to apple trees or trees at all.  But with those quibbles aside, the book is completely charming.  The text is simple and flows nicely.  It is the illustrations which really make this book worth reading.  They are big, colorful and will project well to a large group of children.  Little Apple Goat and her friends are placed on bright colored pages and when the storm blows in the wind and speed of it are captured perfectly. 

Recommended as a read aloud for toddlers and preschoolers, this book will work well in story times about autumn or apples.  A perfect fit for this time of year.