Kirkus Reviews QR Code
ONE SHEEP, BLUE SHEEP by Thom Wiley

ONE SHEEP, BLUE SHEEP

by Thom Wiley & illustrated by Ben Mantle

Pub Date: June 1st, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-40284-2
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic

A farmer's clumsiness leads to a color explosion.

"[W]hen the farmer spill[s] paint on [one sheep's] head—" chaos ensues. These sheep receive one outrageous dye job after another as paint cans splatter on their heads. Though the first makeovers are sheer accident, they enjoy their stylish wooly dos. The sheep's faces express their zany personalities with a tilt of their heads and a flip of their floppy ears. With such a slight plot there's not a lot of opportunity for character development, but they do have a lot of fun. The text is not as strong, with meter galloping unevenly from rhyme to rhyme. A lighthearted twist distinguishes the end. “The farmer laughed to see such sport. / He knew just what to do. / He sheared those five silly sheep and said, / Thanks for the scarf, you colorful crew!” Die-cut circles with scalloped edges provide peepholes but seem additional rather than intrinsic to the composition as a whole. Complementing the flock's shenanigans, the farmer toils comically in each digital spread, adding extra visual interest for readers.

A colorful, off-kilter barnyard party.

(Board book. 2-4)