Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep Review

It’s finally here, the book we’ve all been waiting to see since we heard about it in conjunction with Blucy.   Following on from the successes of Where Are The Dinos?,  Pie-Rits, and Blucy , comes Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep by Julia Dweck.  Julia’s written over 20 books, and this is our fourth review.

This lovely story is a light-hearted take on the traditional Mary Had A Little Lamb, but with a twist.  What is a girl to do when she has a sheep who will not sleep?  She tries everything she can think of.

“When mary bought him dancing shoes

They samBa’d through each chord.

Yet Sheppard tangoed, waltzed, and bowed,

And sleepwalked as he snored.”

Even this didn’t work!  I love what did finally work for Sheppard…well-you’ll just have to read the book for yourself to find that out!

Julia has shared that her inspiration for this cute story was her husband, Sheppard, who enjoys a good snore!  I can just imagine the laughter that must erupt in their home with their good senses of humour.

Julia’s warm-hearted and funny in her emails which bring a smile to my face every time.  Her personality flows through into her stories as well, which is why my children love to read her books.

Julia uses many different illustrators for her books, depending upon the mood and style is thinks will fit the best.  Tristan is now asking who the illustrator is on his own with Julia’s books, as well as with his library books, which I think is quite good for a boy of 5 years.  It’s with sadness that I pass on the following news from Julia:

“I’m really proud of “Mary.” A lot of heart and humor went into creating and designing this book. Sadly, the illustrator, Wilson Williams Jr. passed away just a few days ago at 39. He left us far too soon and will be sorely missed. I wanted you to know that this book meant  a great deal to Wilson. He spent countless hours adding little extra special touches to make this a fun and memorable experience for our readers. It was Wilson’s idea to hide a little mouse (Whiskers) on every page, so that children would be encouraged to return and enjoy the story over and over again. He was a kind and gentle man whose light shines through on every page. I hope you can feel that joy when you read it.”

As with many of her e-books, Julia has included some extra activities at the end of this book.  In addition to hunting for Whiskers on every page (some sightings are easier than others-we’re still searching for a couple!), there is the traditional Mary Had A Little Lamb, and the story behind the famous nursery rhyme, as well as another activity specific to Mary.  Julia has also provided a few websites for further art and creative learning opportunities for children.  These little extras are always a  lot of fun and help to make her books memorable.

To go along with this book, we have made some hand print and finger print sheep art, and Shepherd’s Stew with Sleepy Sheep Dumplings.  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

I received an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.