by Chris Monroe
I didn't realize until my kids and I sat down to read together one night that out of ten or so picture books I chose at the library recently, three were about sheep. Weird. I immediately nabbed Sneaky Sheep
2. MATHILDA AND THE ORANGE BALLOON
by Randall de Seve with illustrations by Jen Corace
This dreamy tale of a free spirited sheep immediately drew the kids in with its inspiring message and larger-than-life protagonist. By the end, we three were having a deep conversation about being whatever you want and appreciating the differences in others. And, orange has always been my favorite color, so this particular sheep book gets bonus points.
3. WHO'S AWAKE IN SPRINGTIME?
by Phillis Gershator and Mim Green with illustrations by Emilie Chollat
This cute bedtime book stars a boy in a sheep suit (a la Max's wolf suit). As night approaches, fish, cats, turtles and, yes, sheep prepare for bedtime. What caught my eye, though, was that this rhyming book was co-written. It made me wonder about the two writers' process. How did they collaborate? How did they edit? Who wrote which parts? Who's idea was it? Then, on the jacket flap, I learned that Mim was Phillis' mother. That begs more questions! So, I was very pleased to discover the lovely origin story for this happy little book on Phillis Gershator's website. Click here to visit. Happy reading. Baaa!