I am looking for the name of a children's book that my mother-in-law
read as a child.  She is now in her early sixties.  It's about a boy
and the friendship he has with his pet goat and I think there may have
been a few written within the series.  The title has the boy's and the
goat's name in it.  Good luck!

Hi Andipandi!

I believe the book that you have in mind is "Eddie and Gardenia" by
Carolyn Haywood. This book was published in 1951 and is one of the
books in the Eddie series by this author.


Here are a few descriptions of this book.


EDDIE AND GARDENIA 

"Adventures of Eddie and his goat named Gardenia when they visit his
uncle's ranch in Texas."
illustrated by author. 1951, Morrow.

THE EDDIE SERIES By Carolyn Haywood
http://unofficial.umkc.edu/crossonm/eddiehaywood.htm

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Eddie and Gardenia

?Eddie is a boy with a goat who has a knack for getting into mischief.
He takes his goat, Gardenia, by train and on his own, to his uncle's
ranch. There he learns to do many jobs on the ranch, not the least of
which is driving a truck standing up (and he a young boy!) When the
time comes that he must return to his home, his departure is truly
poignant.?

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0688312551/qid=1091814947/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3876488-0649462?v=glance&s=books


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?Carolyn Haywood,with her usual fun-loving flair, tells a story of how
Eddie had to give his goat away-but has a whole lot of fun and
adventure while he does it.It is one of Carolyn Haywood's few books
that touches on warmth and sincere feelings children have for animals?
http://www.greenthumb.org/shopping/0688312551.htm


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?Eddie has a pet goat named Gardenia who gets into too much trouble
for Father to put up with, so Uncle Ed offers to have Gardenia on his
ranch in Texas to live, and Eddie to stay with them for a few months.?

Library of Congress
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=Eddie+and+gardenia&Search_Code=TALL&PID=14274&SEQ=20040806142826&CNT=25&HIST=1


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Carolyn Haywood wrote a number of books in the Eddie series.

Carolyn Haywood was born on January 3, 1898 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania ?In 1947, Haywood introduced her readers to a new
character, Eddie, with her book Little Eddie. She continued writing
and illustrating series books about Betsy and Eddie as well as a
number of other characters for nearly half a century.?
http://www.yourlibrary.ws/childrens_webpage/j-author12001.htm


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Eddie books by Carolyn Haywood

Little Eddie '47,  
Eddie and the Fire Engine '49, 
Eddie and Gardenia '51,  
Eddie's Paydirt '53,  
Eddie and His Big Deals '55,  
Eddie Makes Music '57,  
Eddie and Louella '59,  
Annie Pat and Eddie '60,  
Eddie's Green Thumb '64,  
Eddie the Dog Holder '66,  
http://www.logan.com/loganberry/solved-ef.html

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Listing of Carolyn Haywood books
http://www.buriedantiques.com/20th_century_authors/carolyn%20_haywood.htm 

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About Carolyn Haywood: 

?(1898?1990). U.S. artist, illustrator, and author Carolyn Haywood
created a number of children's books featuring familiar predicaments
and uncomplicated characters who appealed to young readers. Many of
her books feature the two characters Eddie and Betsy. ?
http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article?eu=350797&query=predicament&ct=%22ebi%22


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You may purchase a used copy of this book at Abe?s Books
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?&imageField.y=10&imageField.x=61&tn=Eddie+and+Gardenia&ph=2&cm_re=A*Search+Box*Form&sts=t



Search criteria:
Library of Congress: Pet goat
Eddie and Gardenia

I hope this helps!

Best regards,
Bobbie7

That's exactly right!  Thank you so much for your prompt response!