THE SHEEP WHO HATCHED AN EGG

One vain sheep with a gorgeous head of hair plus an egg that needs a place to hatch equals a dandy tale of self-acceptance.

Lola spends endless hours attending to her wool so it is never tangled. She struts her ovine stuff through the farmyard, where she enjoys the adoration of the other sheep. Imagine her shock when she is shorn in the spring! She is embarrassed without her wool and disappointed when it grows back wild, messy, and tangled! She is devastated. Her preoccupation keeps Lola from noticing when a small egg falls from a tree onto her new, matted tresses. When the egg hatches into a sweet chick, Lola gains a friend—one who loves Lola’s ample, messy wool. Droll illustrations, in translucent greens and blues with relaxed lines barely holding in the color, are sure to bring a chuckle to young lap listeners. They will enjoy noticing that some of the earlier spreads are repeated later in the book, but with subtle changes. One repeated scene of Lola’s living room shows the same dresser with a vase of red flowers, but this time the painting on the wall is not of Lola with a medal around her perfect neck but with her crazy hair lovingly holding her new friend.

Merino’s airy style reflects the light message of the book: celebrate yourself and enjoy your imperfections.