We invite you to enjoy the lovely, true story of a special friendship that develops between an elderly women, Noelie Houle, known as The Goat Lady, and the Bregoli family.
The story unfolds when the children visit Noelie on her nearby farm and discover an incredibly kind and interesting person. Noelie shares the richness of her life on her little
goat farm with them, and they learn that Noelie raises goats for Heifer International. They encourage their mom to paint portraits of Noelie and her goats. These paintings
change the perception of an entire town about Noelie Houle.
The author's beautiful paintings of Noelie and her goats are a joy to see. Jane Bregoli's paintings and story capture the spirit of Noelie's courage, resourcefulness and
generousity.
- The story of THE GOAT LADY is such a splendid tale of kindness and compassion on the part of your children, and Noelie Houle. Noelie lived in a rundown farmhouse with an unkempt yard full of goats. The town complained about the "mysterious" owner and her property. What was your reaction when you found out your children visited and spent time with Noelie? At the beginning of the book, the townspeople and neighbors regarded Noelie in a negative way and considered her farm an eyesore and her animals a nuisance. How did the children's visit change all this?
Most of the time we all went together to see "The Goat Lady." The children just enjoyed being around all of her animals...there was always something new happening at the
little farm. They wanted to help Noelie and she liked telling us stories about the animals. What other people thought about her way of life was not important to us. They were
the ones who were missing out on knowing a funny, charming, unique woman who lived life in her own way.
- What do you think your children learned from developing a relationship with Noelie?
I think they learned that elderly people are interesting, and have their own unique thoughts and knowledge about life. I think the aged should have a more valuable role in
our society than they currently do.
- The children asked you to paint Noelie? What was your reaction and what was Noelie's?
Having already done some sketches and quick paintings of the goats, a natural progression would be to paint their owner. The kids realized before I did that Noelie would be
wonderful to paint...she had such character! It was fortunate that Noelie agreed to be painted, and allowed me to take many photographs of her and the goat farm. She welcomed
us to her farm anytime, day or night.
- Your beautiful, sensitive paintings tell the story of this gentle and lovely person, Noelie. What were you trying to capture and express in your paintings about Noelie, her
farm and her animals? What was she like when you were painting her portraits? Tell us what touched you most about her and what you tried to portray in your paintings and in the
book.
I think that my detailed style of painting lends itself to the subjects and to the story. Detail causes one to pause and quietly examine the work, therefore thoughtfully
considering the meaning of the story and the message of each painting. I was painting love in each wrinkle in her face, and love in each brush stroke of her sweater.
Another thing that I was intent on conveying is that, although a person may have dressed in a way different than the norm, it doesn't make them less of a person. As a
matter of fact, it shows character and individuality. Those are a few of the feelings celebrated in my work.
- The animals on Noelie's farm were her "family" and provided her company, food and purpose as she fed and sheltered them in return and participated in the Heifer Project.
How did Noelie connect with the Heifer Project? How many goats do you think she has given needy families over the years?
The goat milk gave her relief from rheumatoid arthritis in her mid-forties, and she raised goats from then on, to help others who needed goat milk too. I knew Noelie for
the last three years of her life, so I don't know exactly how long she was involved in Heifer Project. I do know that she had been involved for many years, and still had an
ongoing relationship with the organization. She may have easily given them six or seven goats or more each year.
- Your paintings were exhibited at your town hall. How did your paintings open the hearts and minds of the community toward Noelie and her farm?
The "outsider" in any community is looked upon as being strange and to be avoided. Most people said that they would drive by her farm often and see her with the goats, but they
never stopped. After seeing the paintings, they felt like they knew her, and wished that they had stopped to talk to her. The paintings showed the community a glimpse of Noelie
as a person, and not just "The Goat Lady," as she was widely called.
- How many paintings of Noelie and her farm did you do? Are they on exhibition permanently? Are they in watercolor or did you use many different mediums?
I painted many portraits of Noelie, and she loved them all! She was at the exhibits, which were very crowded, and she had a grand time! From time to time, the paintings are
exhibited, but some are sold to people who love them too. The paintings are done in watercolor on paper and some are done in oil on canvas, my two favorite mediums.
- How can families follow the example of your children who befriended Noelie?
If people have an open mind, are compassionate, and are willing to step out of their comfort zone, being connected with the earth we live on and the plants and animals we share
the planet with, in love, is a rewarding experience and may lead you down an unexpected path.
- How can kids and their families follow Noelie's example and give back to their communities alongside their "animal friends"?
There are as many ways as you can imagine. Noelie used to sell some of the fresh goat milk, eggs, cheese and honey on her farm. You could go to your local farmer's markets to
buy fresh food to support your neighbors' small farms and their arts and crafts ventures.
- What gave you the idea to write THE GOAT LADY? Is this the first children's book that you have written and do you plan to write more books in the future?
As I spent more and more time with Noelie and listened to her stories, I became inspired to write about her life so others could know this funny, strong, fiercely independent
woman who raised goats as I knew her. Noelie followed her own path in life, and had much to teach us. I wanted to share this experience with others who may appreciate it. This
is my very first book, and I'm slowly working on another children's book featuring Noelie. There are more children's illustrated books in my imagination, and they are very
patiently waiting to come into being.
- You have used your talents to change what most people perceived as a "problem" in the community? Do you have advice for others on how to contribute their talents to benefit
their communities?
The best advice I can give is to encourage people to follow their hearts, to develop their imaginations, and to listen to their intuitions. And, oh, I forgot, 'Never Give Up.'
It took me many years and many rejections to get this book published, but I wholeheartedly believed in the book, and didn't give up!
Book Discussion Questions - The Goat Lady
- Do you know anyone like the Goat Lady?
- What did the town people think of her and why?
- Did you ever meet someone who surprised you after you got to know them?
- How did the Goat Lady help other people?
- How did the people in the town help the Goat Lady?
We at FamiyCares are honored to have Jane Bregoli as our guest artist and author this month and thank her for taking the time to thoughtfully answer our interview questions.
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