Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion [Hardcover]

Lisa Wheeler (Author), Frank Ansley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

When the sheep family
gets together,
even the odd relatives
are welcome!

Once a year they gather --
Woolverton, Little Bo Sheep,
Felice, Uncle Abe Ram,
and the rest of the fleecy flock.

It's baa-dminton here,
sheep dipping there,
brunching and lunching
everywhere.
It's kissing and hugging
for each little lambly
in this wild and woolly
close-knit fambly.

Aren't you excited
to be invited?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This waggish collection of poems about an unorthodox family get-together brims with enough visual and verbal fun to appeal to both parents and children alike. The felicitous combination of whimsical watercolors and quick-witted text features a rambunctious, munching family with a plethora of spring "Lambie Kins" who get "passed from sheep to sheep/ and kissed and kissed and kissed!" Newcomer Wheeler is not sheepish about clever puns and wordplay; the character poems especially stand out. "Sister Alabaster," the Kung-Fu master, "sure knows her chops"; "Aunt Eweginia" always makes "ewesful" things even as she "knits till she is nude." The design deserves kudos, too: on one spread, the sheep play "Baa-dminton" and opt for nibbling grass over perfecting their swing while, opposite, "Brunch," shows a baseball diamond and describes "A nibble here/ A nibble there/ Where has the infield gone?" The layout also plays up the punch line for a couple of poems: goofy "Woolverton" carries a bouquet of flowers and wears a love-sick expression, but doesn't know his true love is a cow (revealed with the turn of a page), and "Hiram's Horns" are so magnificent, the family decorates them each Christmas (a full spread is dedicated to their finery). These irresistible sheep relatives will captivate young readers from the time they arrive to their last "So long... farewool... good-baaa." Ages 3-6.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-A sheep family reunion is the clever theme that unifies these 24 humorous poems. The relations include Aunt Eweginia, Old Ramses, and Sweet Lanolin. Witty wordplay and puns are consistently maintained: "Sister Alabaster,/with fleece as white as snow,/is a Kung-Fu master,/-That lamb sure knows her chops!" Children will delight in the offbeat images: "Odd Ephram is the cousin/that no one talks about./He traded in his woolly coat/and now wears sauerkraut." After the characters are introduced, the verses progress to describe a "Baa-dminton" game and a "Rambunctious" picnic. In the final selection, the sheep bid each other a fond "farewool." Ansley's ink-and-watercolor illustrations extend the humor of this lighthearted collection.

Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689843690
• ISBN-13: 978-0689843693
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,495,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LISA WHEELER is the author of several award-winning picture books, including Sixteen Cows, One Dark Night, and Mammoths On the Move, which recently received a Parent's Choice Recommended Award. She lives near Detroit, Michigan. www.lisawheelerbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lambly Reunion....., June 4, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion (Hardcover)

"Ewes/and rams/and little lambs,/arrive in buses, trucks, and vans./They travel far to meet their kin./Each cousin wears a sheepish grin./And as the flock begins to gather,/you will see they're really rather/odd, but in a woolly way./So stay-/each ewe, each ram, each little lambly-/stay and meet this close-knit fambly." Come enjoy the day with Odd Ephram, "...the cousin/that no one talks about./He traded in his woolly coat/and now wears sauerkraut", Aunt Eweginia, Sister Alabaster, "...with fleece as white as snow,/is a Kung-Fu master,/excels at Tae Kwon Do...", and Old Ramses, Little Bo Sheep, Felice, "...her wool is big and puffy./Says Felice,/I'm not obese!/Don't call me fat. I'm fluffy!", Uncle Abe Ram, Woolverton, and the rest of the flock as they brunch and lunch, play baa-dminton, and take a sheep dip in the lake. Lisa Wheeler's whimsical and charming poems are filled with puns, clever wordplay, and irresistibly endearing characters that will delight readers from 3 to 93. Frank Ansley's bold and bright artwork adds to all the fun as he captures each verse with expressive humor and wit. This is a captivating collection that begs to be shared and read aloud. So meet the flock, and enjoy a great day, because as with all family reunions and great books, the fun is over way too soon. "So long...farewool...good-baaa."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shear Delight!, October 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion (Hardcover)

Wool Gathering humorously captures the uniqueness and charm of all families with its odd collection of memorable sheep. Ms. Wheeler's rhyming rollicking poetry is uproariously funny and packed full of clever puns. Ansley's cheerful illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the playful verse. This whimsical wooly reunion and its flock of positively lovable muttonheads is sure delight all ages.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Read Again And Again!!!!!!!!!, November 10, 2001

By 

"oceanborne" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion (Hardcover)

My kids love this book. . .my class loves this book. . .I love this book!

The words are rich and luxurious. . .like fleece keeping you warm in the snow. :))

Take this book WITH you on your holiday travels, your holiday visits. It will charm hearts over cups of hot chocolate. It will make your loved ones smile with you. It will make the kids crowd round to get the best view of the sheepish illustrations.
:) It's a TEN! Why can I only give this five stars? (G)

Very rarely do we get to find poetry that dovetails the best of traditional, with the best of now. . .making that singsong layering that you revisit again and again- each time getting another angle from the text.

Lisa Wheeler's rhyme will have you reliving those "a-ha" moments from your own family memories.

You're going to say, "When is her next book coming out? I HAVE to get it!"

. . .everyone asks to borrow this book and I tell them to go buy their own copy. ;-) There's the books you lend, and then there's the books you just can't bear to part with. Ewe know what I mean! :))