Review by Booklist Review
PreS. Here's the blue sheep. / And here is the red sheep. / Here is the bath sheep. / And here is the bed sheep. / But where is the green sheep? Little ones will bounce with anticipation as the simple yet clever text takes them to visit one sheep and then another. The green sheep, however, is nowhere to be seen until the final spread, where he is found under a very green bush, fast asleep. Until the lost sheep turns up, children will have fun with the other sheep that make an appearance and perhaps, unbeknownst to them, also get lessons in colors and comparisons (the near sheep, the far sheep). In this neat and satisfying wedding of text and art, the squat, square format uses wool-white backgrounds to display much of the amusing pen-and-watercolor pictures. As for the sheep themselves, Horacek has concocted simply lined happy animals, whose wool is indicated by dozens of curlicues. Laughs and interactive play will ensue among readers and listeners, alone or in groups. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The hunt is on for a sheep that's green all over. But before its undisclosed location is revealed, Fox and first-time picture book illustrator Horacek (previously teamed with Fox for the resource book Reading Magic) introduce children to a host of other whimsical woolly ones, all of which are described in pithy, vocabulary-building terms. "Here is the near sheep./ And here is the far sheep," writes Fox, as Horacek goes in for an extreme close-up on the former and takes a panoramic view of the latter. "Here is the moon sheep./ And here is the star sheep," explains the spread that follows, which finds two sheep staking claim on heavenly bodies. Turning the page, the audience will find all manner of sheep out for a day in the park save one. "But where is the green sheep?" asks the text (the question serves as the book's refrain). The answer finally appears on the last page, where the distinctly lime-green sheep is found snoozing in a meadow. Youngsters won't mind taking a circuitous route to the payoff, however: Horacek's wryly stylized non-green sheep, whose coats look like a hive of curlicues, are utterly endearing in their happy-go-lucky ways whether they're splashing in a bubble bath or schussing down a slide. Parents intrigued by Fox's ideas about early literacy (as expounded in Reading Magic, for example) will find this book a useful vehicle for putting her suggestions into practice. Ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Basic beginning vocabulary is repeated in this easy-to-read rhyme about different kinds of sheep. Children will quickly catch on to the repetitive phrase, "But where is the green sheep?" until they reach the conclusion, where the green sheep is found asleep. Font size is "schoolbook" large and black. White space is prevalent, giving a clear, crisp look to the pages. Horacek's simple, ink-and-watercolor illustrations feature the frolicking sheep basking in the sun, skiing down a slide, playing in a band, etc.; their facial features show their antics as they sing joyously in the rain or shake at the base of the swimming pool's high dive. A welcome addition to the year's flock of easy-readers.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) Here's a flock of sheep one doesn't see every day: red, yellow, and blue ones, as well as sheep in the tub, on the playground, and in cars and trains. And here's a book one doesn't see every day: a narrative perfectly attuned to a toddler's sense of playful discovery. As listeners (who will be able to ""read"" this story on their own after a few encounters) search for that elusive green sheep, they'll also be able to reinforce concepts (such as near and far or brave and scared) and enjoy a little wordplay along the way. They're introduced to a sheep flying a kite (wind sheep), and a sheep landing on the moon (moon sheep), and a circus sheep juggling on a skateboard (clown sheep). Then youngsters encounter a double-page spread that invites them to identify sheep engaged in various unnamed activities, such as diving (snorkel sheep?), or eating birthday cake (party sheep?), or crying (sad sheep?). The rhythmic text follows a pattern: after four descriptive lines (""Here is the blue sheep. / And here is the red sheep. / Here is the bath sheep. / And here is the bed sheep""), the next line asks: ""But where is the green sheep?"" Horacek's uncluttered watercolors merrily counterbalance the straightforward text and provide numerous opportunities for listeners to identify colors and animals as well as to count objects. But, where is that green sheep? ""Turn the page quietly-- / let's take a peep.../ Here's our green sheep, / fast asleep."" Much like Byron Barton's Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (rev. 5/89), this bedtime story is as satisfying as a goodnight kiss. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Fox's latest is a participation story filled with a variety of sheep. There are thin sheep and wide sheep, swing sheep and slide sheep, blue sheep and red sheep, sheep that are paired, complementing each other in some way. Only one kind seems to be missing and without a mate as the repetitious question asks, "Where is the green sheep?" Fox, a literacy consultant and reading professor, has once again produced a perfectly simple text with a patterned language and rhythm just right for toddlers experiencing the basics of life and budding readers learning to complete their sentences by looking at words and pictures together. Horacek's clear, matching watercolor-and-pen cartoon-style drawings flawlessly render each ewe's role, providing little ones a successful reading experience and ultimately finding the green sheep's hiding place. Ideally easy and well-designed. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
