Sleep, Sheep! - Kerry Lyn Sparrow - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Kerry Lyn Sparrow

ILLUSTRATOR: Guillaume Perreault

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: October 2, 2018.

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book about a boy who doesn’t and cannot sleep. Cute story, cuter illustrations. Not much logic, but quite entertaining. Will work better for kids who can count.

Plot Preview:

Duncan has a fixed bedtime routine and follows it. The only thing he dislikes about bedtime is going to sleep, and does whatever he can to avoid it. But his mum is smart and soon catches up to his delaying tactics and ensures that he can no longer have an excuse to get out of bed. But there’s still a problem: Duncan isn't sleepy. His mother suggests that he count sheep. This idea seems to work surprisingly well, until one sheep puts a stop to Duncan’s sleep. What happens next in this sheepish saga?

Counting sheep hasn’t really worked for me, but the cute cover of this book made me give it a go. It is a creative story that moulds perfectly around kids’ hyperactive imaginations. The plot is nonsensical, but offers many laughs. Kids who use the same tactics to delay sleep time will find Duncan’s (and the sheep’s) antics enjoyable, but I hope they also realise how frustrating their actions might be to their parents.

The story is divided in two distinct halves: the first focussing more on Duncan and his ideas of pushing away bedtime, and the second half with the sheep. The jump from the former to the latter is a bit abrupt as the story seems to change in theme and tone at this point. I liked the first half much better.

While the book ends on a good note, the message might be a bit too subtle for younger readers. I wish there had been something on page about Duncan feeling *sheepish* about troubling his Mom at bedtime and resolving to avoid fake reasons to push bedtime further away.

The text is mostly simple for the target age group of 3-7 years, but some scenes need an understanding of numbers and numerical order. Younger kids might miss the point in these instances.

The illustrations are adorable. Though I couldn’t figure out why Duncan’s bathroom had photographs of a cat and a dog in fancy clothes 😄, I liked the overall art. The detailing in Duncan’s rooms and the various sheep was excellent. I love how each sheep had a distinct look. The colour tone is a bit muted, but it works well for the story, especially as it is meant to be a bedtime book.

Overall, this is a whimsical story for kids who might rely on sheep to fall asleep. Not for those who need more realistic picture books.

My thanks to Kids Can Press for providing the DRC of “Sleep, Sheep!” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.