Review by Booklist Review
In the wordless introduction to this rollicking picture book, a rooster yawns while a sheep brushes its teeth, sets an alarm clock, and goes off to sleep. Next, the rhythmic, rhyming verses begin, setting up a comic situation that builds and builds. Sleeping in the barn, the sheep is awakened by th. QUACK. of the duck, who's determined to sleep in the sheep's bed of straw. They both fall asleep until awakened by th. BAAA. of a goat, who beds down with the sheep and the duck. Before morning, the pig, the cow, and the horse have joined them. Wonderfully well cadenced for reading aloud, the rhyming phrases will have children chiming in by the story's end. The text features simple words and a structure that includes variation as well as repetition. In expressive, pencil-and-watercolor artwork, Urbanovic illustrates the barnyard critters with warmth as well as wit. Good bedtime fare.--Phelan, Caroly. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this entertaining bedtime story, Sheep tucks into the "big red barn on the farm" for a peaceful night's rest, but it is continually interrupted by a parade of animals making noises. "Then there came a loud QUACK/at the door, at the door,/and the sheep couldn't sleep any more./'Go to sleep!' said the sheep/to the duck at the door./'And please don't QUACK any more!'" Sheep invites Duck into his barn and they both fall fast asleep. This playful scenario repeats word for word, except for the new animal and its sound as Sheep is joined in a cozy, dozing pile by Goat, Pig, Cow, and Horse, until Rooster wakes the farm up for a new day. Beaumont's lyrical text bounces along a predictable path, making for a terrific read-aloud that will have listeners quacking, mooing, and neighing with Sheep's friends each time they wake him up. But it's Urbanovic's vibrant, humorous watercolors that move this story forward right from the copyright page as Sheep gets ready for bed to his growing frustration as fatigue makes him frantic. The animal sounds are inserted into the text in colorful, thick letters that grow larger with each loud utterance until Rooster's "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO" screams and stretches off a spread, making it surprising that Sheep gets any sleep at all. This is sure to be a storytime favorite alongside Audrey Woods's The Napping House (Harcourt, 1984).-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2011. 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
"The big red barn on the farm, on the farm" is the place to be, much to a tired sheep's dismay. As the sheep nods off, one farm animal after another comes into the barn and rudely quacks, baas, oinks, moos, or neighs the sheep awake. Each time, the bleary-eyed sheep tells the intruder, "Shhh! Not a peep! Go to sleep!" And they do, in a heap, oblivious to the next arrival's noisy entrance. Not so our woolly hero, who wakes up in an increasingly distraught state with every interruption. Together, Urbanovic's comical watercolor illustrations and Beaumont's repetitive rhyming text manage to be both lively and soothing -- the perfect combination to help energetic little ones blow off steam and settle down at bedtime. The predictable pattern of verse allows listeners to join in, as do the illustrations, which hint at who's going to show up next. Finally, all is quiet in the "big red barn," and the sheep is able to sleep...and sleep...and sleep, right through the rooster's "cock-a-doodle-doo!" Phew. kitty Flynn (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
