Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Bea Birdsong!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Bea Birdsong
Bea Birdsong is the author of I Will Be Fierce!, Sam’s First Word, How to Spot a Best Friend, Boop!, and other books for children. She lives in North Carolina with her family and spends her days creating books to entertain and empower readers of all ages. Bea wants you to know that you (yes, YOU) are the G.O.A.T.
Meet the Illustrator: Kelly Murphy
Kelly Murphy is a New York Times bestselling author-illustrator and recipient of the E. B. White Read Aloud Award. Her forty-nine books have earned countless accolades and have been translated into sixteen languages. She teaches illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband and their many animal companions. In her youth, Kelly worked at a small farm, where she befriended many animals and witnessed the unstoppable.
About the Book: GOAT IS THE G.O.A.T.
“He’s the G.O.A.T. Greatest Of All Time!”
Wow . . . Goat had no idea!
But why is he the greatest? Is he the fastest? Nope, Horse easily beats him in a race. Maybe he’s the strongest? No, that’s Donkey. Goat isn’t the highest jumper, either, or even the best spitter—and he’s definitely not the bravest. Out of ideas of what makes him great, he’s beginning to doubt that he’s great at anything when a sudden call for help gives him his chance to shine.
Kids will get a kick out of Goat’s antics and cheer him on as he finally stops comparing himself to everyone else and discovers that there’s greatness in us all.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I don’t always remember the moment of inspiration for a book, but for Goat Is the G.O.A.T. I remember it perfectly. I wrote this book during lockdown in 2020. I was finding it difficult to write because there weren’t many long stretches of silence in our home, and I usually need a lot of quiet time to think of new ideas and write them. This particular day, my husband was listening to a sports show. The commentator on the show spoke about someone being the G.O.A.T. I was sitting nearby with my dog, and I said to him, “That guy isn’t the G.O.A.T. You’re the G.O.A.T.!” Then, I thought, a dog as the G.O.A.T.? That’s funny. How about a goat as the G.O.A.T.? And suddenly, I had the whole story in my head.
YABC: Is your main character like you?
Goat is like me (and probably a lot of people) in that he wonders where he fits in the world (the barnyard) and what exactly makes him special. He isn’t content to accept the praise that is (seemingly) directed at him—he needs to understand WHY he’s the greatest. In looking for the answer, Goat recognizes his (many) weaknesses and also his strengths. I think this is like me too. From the beginning of my writing journey, I’ve been honest with myself about my work and I’ve been open to feedback from others. That’s helped me write books I love and that have gotten book deals so I can share them with readers.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
When my agent, Melissa Edwards, tells me it’s finished. I don’t write (type) the story until I have the whole thing in my head. Sometimes, I know the story as soon as I think of the idea. Other times, I think about an idea for months before I know the words. Because of this writing process, I always send Melissa a first draft. Melissa might love a book and send it right out on submission or she might have an idea about how I could make it stronger. So, when Melissa says it’s ready to go, the book is finished. At least, until I start working on it with an editor.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I wanted to be a writer when I was very young—probably five or six years old—but I don’t remember ever thinking seriously that I could be one. Becoming an author did not seem like a realistic goal. Schools, at least the ones where I grew up, didn’t bring in authors to speak. Authors were either people who lived long ago or mythical beings that had done what the rest of us could not. I became a teacher and later a mother. When my son started middle school, I wanted to go back to work with a job that would give me a lot of flexibility. So, I started doing freelance writing and editing for educational publishers. I still didn’t really think of myself as a writer because a lot of what I was doing was what I’d done as a teacher—creating lesson plans, creating content for students, writing stories and passages to explain a concept, etc. But the project managers I worked with kept telling me how impressed they were with my writing. That helped me think of myself as a writer, and, for the first time, I thought being an author was something I could pursue.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I’m not sure I ever think about keeping my voice true to an age category so much as keeping it true to my main character. And my main character—whether it’s a child or a dog or a goat—always has the mindset of a young child. I think about how a kid would feel and behave within the story. What would a kid notice? What would drive a kid’s decisions? Children have incredibly strong emotions, and many picture books center on a character learning to handle those feelings. Children are creative and perceptive and smart. They are instinctively kind and fair-minded. Picture books that reflect those qualities and do not talk down to the reader are the ones that have the truest voice. That’s what I’m always hoping to achieve when I write.
YABC: If your character could meet a character from another book, who would it be?
I think Goat would be very good friends with Pig from Linzie Hunter’s book What if, Pig? (2021). Pig is a wonderful friend: kind, fun-loving, and generous. But he’s also a worrier. And sometimes, Pig’s worries get in the way of him having fun and feeling secure in his friendships. Goat would understand Pig’s insecurity, and Pig would understand Goat’s desire to find out what makes him the greatest. Together, they could have a friendship that is the G.O.A.T.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
I love New Year’s Eve. It’s a holiday you can celebrate however you want. There are no expectations to have certain foods or to exchange presents. You can do as much or as little as you want—dress up and dance the night away or sit on your sofa and watch the ball drop. I love that the New Year arrives again and again throughout the day and night as the clock turns to midnight in each part of the world. But mostly, I love that it’s a time to reflect on the past year and set new goals for the year ahead. It’s a moment filled with possibility. What opportunities and challenges will the year bring? Every year is a fresh start and, as Goat would tell you, a chance to be the greatest.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Up next, a board book version of I Will Be Fierce!, my picture book with Nidhi Chanani, releases on June 17th, and my picture book with Jasu Hu, How to Grow a Family Tree, releases on October 7th. After that, I have two picture books releasing in early 2026: That Is Not a Dog! with Charlie Alder and You Did It! with Madi Wong.
Title: GOAT IS THE G.O.A.T.
Author: Bea Birdsong
Illustrator: Kelly Murphy
Release Date: February 18, 2025
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
ISBN-10: 0593405420
ISBN-13: 9780593405420
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Age Range: 3-7
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Goat is the G.O.A.T. (Bea Birdsong) ~US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
