One More Sheep [Hardcover]

Mij Kelly (Author), Russell Ayto (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Sam the farmer has got to count his ten sheep in for the night so he knows they're all safe. Trouble is, counting sheep makes Sam sleepy, so he never gets to the last one! That can be a bit of a problem when the wolf comes to the door!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Counting sheep has long been the suggested cure for insomnia, but for Sam that's not the problem. He needs to keep track of his herd of 10, but each time he tries to count them, he nods off before he finishes. The sheep conclude that they must be too boring to keep the shepherd alert and that they must find a way to be more interesting. This becomes imminently important when a wolf in sheep's clothing appears at the door on a stormy night. Just as the man is about to let him in, the real sheep insist that he count one more time. They put on a show, and at last he is able to keep his eyes open long enough to count the chorus line. The wolf is left out in the storm, and the sheep and Sam go back to bed. The rhyming text is somewhat inconsistent. Some lines are exact rhymes; others are very loosely rhymed–so loose it's hard to recognize the lines as verse. This and the uneven cadence make the story difficult to read smoothly. However, children will giggle over the comical illustrations. The rounded bodies of Sam and his sheep (on two legs) walk up over the quilted hills, creating their own rhythm. The white sheep with their dark faces and striped stocking caps pull readers' eyes across the pages. Laughter will ring out when the wolf's loud knock literally scares the hats and socks right off them as they slumber. Pair this tale with Rob Scotton's Russell the Sheep (HarperCollins, 2005) for a wide-awake storytime.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

One stormy night, Sam leads his 10 sheep home to bed and starts to count them, but he falls asleep at "four."^B Later, a wolf in sheep's clothing arrives, and Sam nearly welcomes him as one of the flock, until the real sheep intervene. The shamefaced Sam confesses that he can't count them because "It's a well-known fact / that when people count sheep, / it tires us all out / and puts us to sleep." Offended but ever practical, the flock comes up with a plan to keep Sam awake through the count of 10. The rhyming verses roll along smoothly with some very satisfying turns of phrase, while the stylized ink drawings and fine watercolor work give the art real pizzazz. All the characters are drawn with chunky bodies, spindly legs, and droll countenances. When a page folds out for the sheep's onstage debut, children will be ready to cheer (and count) these strange-looking but definitely lovable creatures, whose keen instincts and insistence on arithmetic solve the problem and save the day. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561453781
• ISBN-13: 978-1561453788
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

What could be more beautiful than the laughter of children? That's why I write. You can find out more about me and my books, and read essays for children - and adults - on imagination and the craft of writing at http://mijkelly.com.

For notifications, give-aways and competitions, like "Mij Kelly's children's books" on Facebook.

Look out for The Bump, which will be published on 6th October. I wrote it when my daughter was expecting my first grandchild - now four years old and starting school! I was so aware, when I was writing it, of what a journey pregnancy is, and how women throw their all into it, to help their babies grow. It seemed to me that the boundless love and hope and courage of the mum-to-be wasn't very often celebrated. So that's what I set out to do. But I've got to say, words aside, Nicholas Allan's illustrations make this book. They're so soft and sweet and funny. He hits just the right note.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, March 9, 2009

By 

Robert Hearne (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One More Sheep (Hardcover)

and so do my kids. the rhymes are fun and there's even a brief introduction to counting that had my youngest counting to ten ahead of her time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!, May 8, 2008

By 

Samantha "first time mom" (Winchester, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One More Sheep (Hardcover)

My son is 3 and he loves it! We needed more books geared towards his age. I choose this book because we were given another from the same author that he loves "Have you seen my Potty". This book is great. When they are all in bed and they hear the "rat-a-tat" at the door, my son knocks on the floor to make the sound. When they slam the door in the on the worlf my son says "Bonk". The illustrations are great. The rhyming is great because he's actually working on rhyming words at preschool. It's just a fun book for us to read each night! I highly recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, June 10, 2009

By 

B. Jackson "Mom's review" (Canyon (Amarillo), Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One More Sheep (Hardcover)

Fun, fun book. My 3 year old boy and 5 & 6 year old girls all loved the book. Mom loved the book too. As usual, Russell Ayto's illustrations are outstanding! Buy a copy. You won't regret it.