Reading Rumpus: Book Bite: Sleep, Sheep! - a bedtime story for the reluctant sleeper

Publisher's Synopsis: "There are lots of things Duncan likes about bedtime --- the stories, the pajamas, the bubblegum-flavored toothpaste ... The only thing he doesn't like is going to sleep. And he'll do anything he can to avoid it. Until one day, Duncan's mom has had enough of his stalling. ?Try counting sheep,? she tells him. So, he does. At first, it's kind of fun. As he counts, each sheep appears, wearing its number like a race car, and leaps over the bed. But then comes Sheep #68, who hesitates. He needs a drink of water before he can jump. Then he has to go to the bathroom. Then he wants to put on running shoes. Will Sheep #68 ever do what he's supposed to?

Kerry Lyn Sparrow's hilarious picture book story offers a new take on a universal experience. Using delaying tactics to avoid going to sleep at bedtime is a common routine for young children, and they'll love the sly humor when Duncan's own tricks get turned on him by the (?sheepish?) sheep. In subtle colors with lots of telling details, Guillaume Perreault's illustrations bring Duncan's bedtime rituals and his unexpected sheep guests humorously to life. This book makes a fantastic, funny read-aloud, appealing to both children and adults."

My Two Cents: Sleep, Sheep! is mostly a bedtime book for small pre-school age children, but I wanted to give it a spot on here because it may not get a lot of buzz in the US (Canadian folks involved) and it has some strong merit in the bedtime story department. There's lots of humor complimented by very interesting and elaborated illustrations. I like the idea that the "mom knows best and is always there for you" as that is clearly part of my own favorite picture book (Reading Rumpus didn't get named accidentally!).

I feel that helping young readers see the boy's traits in sheep #68 is a good reading skill that gives it a little more credibility with this reader than other bedtime stories. I don't think this is necessarily a classroom purchase, unless one might be doing a sheep or a sleep unit, but it certainly will be a great bedtime tale for young ones to stretch those cognitive connections!

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Genre: Picture Book
Age: 3-6
Pages: 32
Themes: Bedtime Story, Moms are smart, Kids get tired, Sheep are for counting
Character Development: Sheep #68 is okay. The rest are pretty compliant.
Plot Engagement: Will #68 jump? That questions drives the tale.
Originality: Not particularly, lots of sleeping and sheeping books, but the illustrations are sweet and the plot moves well.
Thank You to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for my advanced digital copy.
Date: October 2, 2018
ISBN: 9781771387965
BUY Sleep, Sheep! HERE
Author Page: HERE
Illustrator Page: HERE

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