The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep written & illustrated by Hannah E. Harrison*

 George the sheep introduces the reader to typical sheep behavior and why they need a Shepherd. Then he relates how he ran away from the Shepherd when it was haircut time and the ramifications of his actions. This book depicts Psalm 23 and God's redemptive love well. Ms. Harrison offers other scripture references about shepherds and sheep at the end. 

I laughed out loud at some of George's descriptions (we have a pasture of sheep next to our house and witness these behaviors on a regular basis).

 I did not care for some aspects of the illustrations (I LOVE Ms. Harrison's artwork in her other picture books)-some scenes/images seemed static.

*Highly recommend.  

-Borrowed from the library.

Beatrice and Vanessa by John Yeoman & Quentin Blake*

 My niece shared this book with me today. What a humorous and well-written story! I loved the word choice, the delightful characters, and the clever plot.

Beatrice, a ewe, and Vanessa, a nanny goat, decide to leave their boring field and experience an adventure. After all, they are not getting any younger. When they enter the dark woods, they encounter wolves. Clever Vanessa abounds with ideas to escape the predators that pursue them.

*Highly recommend.

-My niece owns this book.

Lambslide by Ann Patchett illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

 The lambs on the farm are quite self-focused. When they hear the word "landslide", they believe Mrs. Farmer said "lambslide". With persistence, they seek out a way to incorporate a lambslide on the farm. The story was ok. The illustrations are adorable (Ms. Glasser is the illustrator for the Fancy Nancy series).

-Borrowed from the library.

Lass by Roland Gebauer illustrated by Cheri Bladholm*

 This picture book is based on Phillip Keller's book, Lessons from a Sheep Dog.

Lass is a neglected dog living in the city. Mr. Keller sees an ad for her in the newspaper and buys her, hoping to train as his sheep dog. With love and patience he wins Lass's loyalty and affection. Mr. Keller links the relationship he has with his sheep dog to how believers love and obey Christ. After each chapter, Mr. Gebauer provides discussion questions and explanations about the connections. He also created more dicussion questions for after the story. Themes for each chapter are also highlighted.

After reading Phillip Keller's book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, I wanted to read more books by him. Unfortunately, the county's library system does not have any of his books. I requested this picture book via inter-library loan.

*Highly recommend.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller**

 Our neighbor has placed a flock of sheep in his plot of land that borders our yard. As I daily watch the sheep grazing, I ask the Lord to reveal to me how I am like a sheep. Mostly though, He has been teaching me about HIM, the good and perfect Shepherd. My friend told me about this book and allowed me to borrow her copy. It is one I would like to reread each year. Mr. Keller takes the reader through the psalm by comparing it to what he has learned as a shepherd. A shepherd's insight certainly enriches the readers' understanding of the psalm.

**Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed from a friend.

One Smart Sheep by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney illustrated by Jane Manning

 Mr. Schmidt and his late-wife, Elizabeth, wrote this book together before she passed away.

Abigail Atwood is a sheep farmer who loves the quiet. Her neighbor, Jeremiah Jefferson, loves to tinker. . .which produces noise. He also thinks sheep are rather stupid. When Wilson, the friendliest, wooliest and smartest sheep escapes, Abigail and Jeremiah join forces to find him and to bring him home.

The short chapters with full-page illustrations will appeal to transitional readers who are building stamina and confidence.

*Highly recommend for transitional or struggling readers. Toddlers and preschoolers who are advanced in their ability to listen to a story would love this book as a read aloud.

-Borrowed from the library.

Smudge, the Little Lost Lamb by James Herriot illustrated by Ruth Brown*

Harry diligently arises early to help his father, Farmer Cobb, to help with the birthing of the lambs.  His father allows him to have two lambs for himself.  He names them Smartie and Smudge.  Smudge is an adventurous lamb and finds an opening in the fence one day.  At first he enjoys his freedom but bemoans his circumstances when he is hungry and wants to nurse.  He cannot find the opening again to return to the safety of the pasture.   He experiences a scary dog and a spring blizzard.  Will he ever return to the fold?!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

My Favorite Pets by Jeanne Birdsall illustrated by Harry Bliss

Gus must write an essay about his favorite pet for his teacher Ms. Smolinski.  The text is situated on lined school paper and the font looks handwritten.  The reader learns about Gus' humorous escapades with the family's seventeen sheep.
Gus is a bit sneaky and naughty and not very nice to his little brother.
-Borrowed from the library.

Blue Mountain by Martine Leavitt

A National Book Award Finalist
This book is definitely an environmental book as the author depicts bighorn sheep having to migrate to a new mountain because man is developing their winter meadow.  The entire book focuses on Tuk who sees a distant blue mountain and leads part of the herd in hopes of a better situation.  Along the way the herd encounters a puma, a wolverine, a bear, an otter and man.  Using his intelligence and agility, Tuk successfully leads the herd to a pristine new habitat.
The author's father's years of observation of the bighorn sheep in British Columbia inspired this story.  She shares insights on his childhood and love for nature and the bighorn sheep after the story.
The story made me want to go and view these majestic animals in their natural habitat!
Borrowed from the library.
I liked the beautiful, descriptive language.
Strategies: inferring, figurative language
Children who love animals and stories about them will like this book.

Escape from Baxter's Barn by Rebecca Bond

Burdock, the one eyed cat, overhears the Baxter brothers arguing and returns to the barn with disturbing news.  The farm is not making it and Dewey Baxter plans to burn the barn for insurance money.  Grady, the other brother, cowardly leaves the farm.
Hearing this news,  the eight animals residing in the barn first panic but thanks to Nanny (the mother goat), calm down and begin to create a plan to escape.  Each animal uses his/her strengths and gifts to assist the grand exodus.  An unexpected wild creature solves the final problem and the story ends happily for the animals.
I loved the word choice and the sophistication of the sentence structure (missing in a lot of books anymore).  A couple of times I stopped to discuss why the author choose to write the sentences the way she did or why she choose to make a chapter short (a potential mentor text as far as craft). The character development was well executed.  In fact, my more serious son belly-laughed a few times at Fluffy's antics (a rather dumb sheep)!  One grows to love the characters and their quirks and traits.

Ms. Bond's illustrations are sweet. In fact the adorable cover is what made me first check this book out of the library.
Borrowed from the library.
Strategies: cause/effect, inferring (character traits, figurative language), expanding vocabulary

Warnings/points to discuss: I would highly recommend this book (I loved reading it aloud to my boys-all three of us looked forward to it each night.) but I did not appreciate that the main human character was an arsonist.  The anticipation of animals burning to their death was a bit harsh.  Recently my relatives' cows burned in a barn fire so maybe this actual event in my life is making me more sensitive to the subject.
My boys and I discussed Dewy and Grady's different reactions to their financial situation and what they should have done  instead of running away from the problem or burning down the barn.

I  believe this author wrote and illustrated a picture book about a real barn fire which happened in her family's history.  I am hoping to read and review it soon.
Grade Level: 5.4

Sheep Go to Sleep by Nancy Shaw illustrated by Margot Apple*

The newest addition to Ms. Shaw's sheep books!
Sheep cannot fall asleep.  Who will help them?  A loyal collie, of course!
At the end Ms. Shaw references the nursery rhyme "Little Boy Blue" so an opportunity to make a text to text connection.
A great bedtime story.
Perfect to use when teaching "long e" and word families.
*Highly recommend.

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado illustrated by Liz Bonham*

Joshua the crippled lamb always feels left out. One night he and his best friend, Abigail (a brown cow with white blotches) are left behind in the stable and experience the best gift ever!
*Highly recommend.
Guided Reading Level: O (third grade)
Grade Equivalency:  2.9

Six Snowy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler illustrated by John O'Brien

Six sheep receive a perfect Christmas gift to play in the snow.
Repetitive text make for an opportunity for listeners to join in the reading or great for beginning readers.
Lots of Alliteration!
Guided Reading Level: I
Grade Level Equivalency: 1.7

Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw illustrated by Margot Apple

Sheep need to purchase a birthday gift but make a mess while shopping and do not have enough money to pay for their purchases.
Great for beginning readers. Rhymes.
Skills: word families; word attack strategies
Guided reading level: G

Betsy Red Hoodie by Gail Carson Levine

Zimmo is an unusual shepherd . . . a wolf!  As Betsy Red Hoodie and Zimmo cross the forest to grandmother's house with their flock of sheep, many people warn Betsy not to trust Zimmo.
Surprise ending.
Sheep entertain readers with their dry sense of humor dialogue.
Strategies:  connections and predicting

Sheepchase by Paul Rogers illustrated by Celia Berridge

Flossie, the sheep, escapes while Jack, the boy shepherd, naps on a haystack.  She has her eyes set on the country fair.  The reader will enjoy trying to find Flossie in each illustration as she eludes her pursuers.
Picturesque British countryside illustrations.
We enjoyed peering at the small bird's eye view of the countryside setting on the title page.