The Back Leg of a Goat — Penny Reeve

Tania Abbey is a young peace-activist and environmental campaigner - she is also a follower of Jesus.

How does just a regular girl from a regular Australian town (with one or two crazy ideas) end up buying the back leg of a goat? But is it a crazy idea to do this?

What appears to be crazy is actually a cool plan to help poor people in the third world. A healthy, strong goat could make all the difference to Shanti's family. Shanti lives in India and her family have very little money - they don't even have enough to spend on education, clean drinking water or other things that Tania takes for granted.

So Tania plans to use her savings to buy the back leg of a goat (it's the only bit she can afford!) but the plan goes up a gear when she manages to get her brother, Daniel, involved in a fashion show! But it's her new friend, Emily, who has the craziest idea of all - 'Let's make it a recycled fashion show!' Before you can say 'dustbin', Tania and Emily - and the other kids in the area - are gathering a whole pile of junk to make costumes and clothes out of. This is going to be more than just crazy! It's going to be fun-crazy!!

Themes: making a difference; belonging to God

Why Tania Abbey?
When Jesus spoke to the rich young man about the kingdom of heaven the young man boasted about his goodness. But Jesus wanted more than just goodness from that young man, and he wants more than just goodness from our kids. He wants their whole hearts, their whole lives, he wants them to 'give all they have to the poor' on account of himself. This is what the Tania Abbey books are about. They tackle the questions of:
- What does faith, real life, practical faith look like when you are a kid?
- How does my faith in Jesus impact on the values and priorities in my life?
- Does 100% committed faith only belong to adults?
- What does the Lord require of me, when I'm still in primary school?
And specifically...
- How does my faith in Jesus change how I respond to a world in need?
Centred around themes of social justice, as the main character Tania's world view is expanded and challenged, these books give today's child readers the chance to encounter some of these questions and consider the answers and the impact of living completely as a child of a missional God.