Cute picture book about the goat, appropriately named Billy, who became a mascot for a battalion fighting in World War I. They snuck him along with them across borders and all the way to the front lines, where he inspired the men and even saved a few lives along the way.

Illustrations were cute, not my absolute favorite, but I loved the story this told. And I loved the addition of a few photos of the real Billy and his men at the end of the book.

Cute and interesting true story. I wish there had been a bit more details in the book, to make it more appropriate for older children.
This is a great book to link the World War with more of a child=friendly interest in that time period.

Like last year’s Sergeant Reckless, Sergeant Billy tells the true story of a WWII mascot to a battalion of soldiers. Billy the goat is borrowed from a young prairie girl and smuggled to the trenches of England and France. The story is simple and straight forward and the illustrations support the text and add to the humor of some of the soldiers’ experiences with Billy. Students in grades 3-5 who enjoy stories about animals and historical accounts of unusual events during war are the target audience. But if budget constraints force librarians to choose between McCormick’s Sergeant Reckless and this one, I would recommend Reckless. The blend of actual photographs and artistic renderings, more detailed back matter, and stronger writing skills make it a stronger choice.

This was such a cute story and I loved that it was based on a true story. I teach older students, but they loved it as much as I did. It sparked many other questions about animals in wartime.
The pictures were great too! Highly recommend!

I had no knowledge of Sergeant Billy prior to this book, and it's a pretty fun story from the first world war, if you get over the animal endangerment lol.

I would absolutely utilize this book in my classroom. This story is one that shows how everyday miracles can happen. The students will not only enjoy the story of the goat that made a difference, but they will also get great exposure to a historical event.

'Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War' by Mireille Messier with illustrations by Kass Reich is a picture book that shows how often truth is stranger than fiction.

A group of Canadian soldiers on their way to World War I, made a stop in a prairie town. They find a young girl named Daisy with a goat, and they ask if they can take the goat with them. She makes them promise to bring the goat back unharmed.

The goat becomes a kind of mascot and good luck charm. At one point the soldiers head to the front, but the goat isn't supposed to go, so the soldiers think of a clever way to smuggle a goat into the dangerous trenches at the front.

I loved this true story of a goat who helped morale. The book ends with some real pictures and talks about where in Saskatchewan you can find out more. The illustrations are also fun with rounded looking characters and a goat with quite the personality.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

My boyfriend loves goats and I love history, so I knew I'd have to read this. The illustrations were absolutely delightful. Billy's character shone through in every one, and you could see how the soldiers would fall in love with him. The story itself (especially with the repeated element of "And that's how Billy [xyz]") was fresh and engaging. Highly recommended!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

What a wonderful story! I read large amount of WWII history and fiction, so this book immediately caught my eye. It's a true story about a goat that went to war; he kept up morale and even saved some of the men on the front lines. Billy is a courageous goat that made history! Highly recommend this read, especially if your children are interested in war books and you don't want to get into the blood and gore of war.
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For fans of Stubby the War dog and other tales of real animals in history. This was an enjoyable read.

We are pretty familiar with the story about the bear cub named Winnie who was adopted by a lieutenant in WWI and whose story became Winnie-the-Pooh. And then there's Stubby, a stray dog who became the mascot of the 26th Infantry Division, went to war and became a decorated hero, as did Rags, a Parisian mongrel adopted by radio operator James Donovan. But did you know there was also a goat who was borrowed by some Canadian soldiers from a little girl named Daisy in Saskatchewan when their train made a stop there.

Daisy wasn't really happy to lend her goat to the soldiers of the Fifth Battalion who were going off to war, but they promised to bring him back, and so she agreed, and "that's how Billy's extraordinary story began."

And what a story it is. Private Billy proved to be an able soldier, training, marching, crawling and running like any other soldier, and even getting laggers back on track, not to mention being a great comfort and morale booster. But when it came time to ship out, the colonel said it was a no go for Private Billy. His fellow soldiers had other plans, though, buying an crate of oranges (which they quickly ate) and packing Private Billy into the empty crate to sneak him on to their ship. The plan worked and luckily, Private Billy was a good sailor.

Once at the front lines, Billy also adjusted well to trench life. Nothing bothered him - not the cold, not the mud, not the noise, not the bad food, not even the rats. He continued to be a great comfort and morale booster, especially to nervous new recruits and to homesick soldiers. Of course, Billy was a goat, after all, and he was known to occasionally chow down on some important secret documents, and sentenced to jail for spying. But when morale fell, he was quickly released. Billy also saved lives on the battlefield, butting soldiers back into the trench to avoid an exploding shell.

By the end of the war, Private Billy was promoted to Sergeant Billy, and awarded the Mons Star for bravery in the face of danger. And "that's how Sergeant Billy became a decorated war hero." Happily, Billy survived the war and was returned to a somewhat older Daisy in Saskatchewan.

War is an ugly business and it's a difficult topic to introduce kids to. Luckily, there are some excellent books that can help parents and teachers broach this subject with young readers. And Sergeant Billy would be a great choice with which to do that. I say this because the first thing that struck me about Sergeant Billy is how focused it is on the goat and not on the soldiers or some of the real horrors of war. In this way, the story offers a gentle introduction to war while at the same time it makes it very clear that war is not fun despite having a goat mascot.

Messier's writing is simple, direct, and age appropriate, though none of the technical terms are explained (for example, Billy got trench foot, but what is that? my young readers asked). And Reich's uncomplicated gouache illustrations in a palette of army browns and greens work in absolute harmony with the text.

Sergeant Billy and his life on the front lines while in the Canadian army is based on a true story, and readers will find plenty of informative back matter that includes photographs of the real Billy and information about animals in war.

And for kids who really like heroic animal stories, pair Sergeant Billy with these other true stories from WWI: Fly, Cher Ami, Fly! The Pigeon Who Save the Lost Battalion by Robert Burleigh, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker, Stubby the Dog Soldier, World War I Hero by Blake Hoena, Rags: Hero Dog of WWI, a true story by Margot Theis Raven, and Stubby: A True Story of Friendship by Michael Foreman

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book is an EARC received from NetGalley

Two thumbs up for Sergeant Billy by Mireille Messier. A quick reading account of a true mascot goat during WWI is a pleasing tale for young and old. From leaving Daisy to returning home my grandchildren and I found this to be a delight.

The fact that it is a true story with photographs at the end made this so astounding. We loved the flow of the text along with the pattern of repletion within to be fun to read aloud. By the end we were all saying together, “And that’s how Billy…”

The illustrations are lovely but simple with Sergeant Billy having such cute expressions. We loved the photos at the end which served to make us all want to research more online. A second grader could read this story independently but it is quite remarkable so why not share it together. The first book I have read written by this author but we all want to read more now.

Very enjoyable picture book nonfiction. Reads like a story and still manages to teach important information.

Sergeant Billy is an inspiring true story. This simple country goat accompanied a group of soldiers all the way to France in the war. He significantly boosted the morale of the soldiers, and he even made his own contributions in battle.

I'd love to share this story with my students. I think they would thoroughly enjoy learning about Sergeant Billy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy!

#netgalley #sergeantbilly

Big fan of books that teach kids about history and this one is fascinating and fun. I didn't know anything about Sergeant Billy so it was really cool to learn about such a brave, affection little goat. And the way it was written is so cute. Probably most appropriate for elementary aged kids, but I read it to my 3.5 year old and she enjoyed it. Highly recommend this title.

What a wonderful true life story of Billy the goat. He was borrowed from a little girl, when to World War One, and just like promised, returned to the little girl years later. He was a mascot, a helping hand, and even sometimes a superhero. Stories like this need to be told. The author did an amazing job, and so did the illustrator. I love that they included real life pictures of Billy at the end. Three cheers for this war hero goat.

This is such a cute book! I had no idea that some regiments had animals on the front line, and Billy's story is fantastic. It is written in such a way that I think a lot of kids would be interested in it and learning more about other animals who went to war.

Billy, the goat, met a group of Canadian soldiers while they were preparing to go fight in World War 1, in France. Billy’s owner, Daisy, agreed to let the soldiers borrow him. The colonel didn’t want Billy to go to France, but the soldiers snuck him in a crate on the ship. He was a great encouragement and help to the soldiers throughout the war.

This book is based on a true story. Some basic information about the real Daisy and Billy are included in the back along with a couple of photographs. Children will enjoy the story and the illustrations, especially the goat who is quite endearing. Billy is involved in some silly antics and some serious situations, but most importantly he is a valued comrade.

I was offered an electronic copy from netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Sergeant Billy was a wonderful historical fiction picture book that taught me something new. I was excited to share it with students and hear what they thought about the goat and his travels. The conversations about the goat's travels, the original owner and the feelings of the soldiers will lead to a greater understanding of how war impacts lives. I enjoyed the book and think it would be good for upper elementary students.

As soon as I saw that cover and title, I knew I wanted to read SERGEANT BILLY, and I’m so glad I did! This is an utterly charming real life story about a goat’s adventures in the War to End All Wars. The illustrations are so heart-tugging as is the story, which is both poignant and funny. Such a fun way to learn history, with truths revealed through the tale of a creature that got trench foot, saved soldiers by head-butting them away from a deadly shell, was court marshaled for eating top secret papers, but in the end was decorated and returned home safely as a hero. Loved it! 5/5

Pub Date 17 Sep 2019

Thanks to Mireille Messier, Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

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