One More Sheep

Kelly, Mij. One More Sheep. Illustrated by Russell Ayto. Peachtree, 2006 ISBN 1-56145-378-1 $16.95. (Primary)

Silly Sam, the farmer, has gotten himself into another drowsy mess. In the book One More Sheep, Sam the farmer has ten sheep that he must keep safe from the ever-famous “Big Bad Wolf”. Mij Kelly, (Where’s my Darling Daughter?, William and the Night Train, and I Hate Everyone) brings the ten little sheep to life using fantastic rhyming words that allow the story to flow from the pages into the imagination. Russell Ayto’s pen and ink illustrations show a great understanding of pattern and depth in color. As the story progresses the audience is on a roller coaster of vocabulary. The deep rich colors of the illustrations emphasize and go beyond the beautiful detail of the written word. Both author and illustrator really capture the idea of a child’s imagination. The reader should be wary of falling asleep, because the sheep counting is out of this farmyard.

Hannah Martin, BGSU student