Hi Everyone! Welcome back to Perfect Picture Book Fridays!
I know we took a bit of a break between the Holiday Contest preempting regular posts and then the holidays preempting everything 🙂 , so if you have posted Perfect Picture Books over the last few weeks you are welcome to add them all to today’s list!
As you all know, I am partial to books about counting sheep 🙂
So I am thrilled to share a new one with you! And, not only will I share the book with you on PPBF today, the author, Pippa Chorley, has generously offered to give away 2 copies in celebration of her launch to the US market this week! If you’re interested in winning a copy, she asks that you like and comment on post, and share this post on social media tagging her on Twitter:@PippaChorley and/or Instagram: @pippachorley! And if you’d like to learn a little more about her journey to publication with this book, please check out Tuesday Debut – Presenting Pippa Chorley!
Title: Counting Sheep
Written By: Pippa Chorley
Illustrated By: Danny Deeptown
Marshall Cavendish, January 20 2020, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-6
Themes/Topics: bedtime, ingenuity/problem solving
Opening: “One dark stormy night, when Sam couldn’t sleep,
Her mum suggested, “Try counting some sheep.”
Sam closed her eyes and pictured a flock,
But the white, woolly sheep were running…AMOK!
‘Please stop, please stop! Slow down, slow down!
I cannot sleep with you clowning around.‘”
Brief Synopsis: When Sam can’t sleep, her mother suggests counting sheep, but bedtime becomes bedlam as the sheep pile up and can’t be counted because Little Shep is unable to clear the fence. One outrageous solution after another fails to do the trick until Sam comes up with just the right answer.
Links To Resources: If it was your job to get Little Shep over the fence, how would you do it? Draw a picture!; Counting Sheep Song (YouTube Video); 10 Sheep Crafts For Kids; Sheep Cupcakes (recipe); 16 Counting Activities for Preschoolers
Why I Like This Book: this story is cute, energetic and entertaining. When Little Shep is unable to get over the fence, holding up the line and making it impossible for Sam to count herself to sleep, the sheep come up with one ridiculous proposition after another to solve the problem. Of course they don’t think their ideas are ridiculous! and their suggestions are believably kid-like (I speak from experience having come up with similar schemes myself 🙂 ), seeming perfectly plausible to them and making for a humorous story and illustrations. Ultimately Sam is the one who comes up with a sensible solution – the perfect answer to the problem – showing that sometimes a little careful thought is better than a lot of wild ideas. Young readers will enjoy watching the story unfold and wondering how will Little Shep get over that fence???!!! The illustrations are light-hearted and fun, including such entertaining details as the “spring plan” 🙂
text copyright Pippa Chorley 2020, illustration copyright Danny Deeptown 2020 – Marshall Cavendish
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂 And don’t forget! You could win a copy of this delightful book by liking and commenting on this post and sharing this post on Twitter and/or Instagram and tagging Pippa (Twitter:@PippaChorley and/or Instagram: @pippachorley!)
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Susanna, Welcome back! I missed your reviews. That “spring plan” is so wildly cool, I can’t wait to see the rest of the sheep’s plans. Thanks for the “sheep peek.”
It’s great to see you back again. This book sounds delightful!
I recently read this delightful book! The story and illustrations are great.
Great to be back at PPBF – I missed seeing what everyone else was reviewing. This sounds adorable. I have a sweet spot in my heart for sheep counting, too. Can’t wait to read this latest one!
This book sounds adorable and love the illustrations.
Pippa: This book sounds like crazy fun. Can’t wait to read, Counting Sheep!
Poor little Shep and Sam. Can’t wait to read both of these bedtime sheep books. So glad to have #PPBF back.
This looks both clever and adorable. Can’t wait to read COUNTING SHEEP!
As a former farm girl, I’ll all about the sheep (and not necessarily in a jeep). Can’t wait to count some sheep!
The adorable sheep in the illustration hooked me. I can’t wait to get this book!
Glad to see you back again. Counting Sheep looks adorable and fun for children. Lovely share today!
Yay! We’re back! And Counting Sheep looks like such a fun book – thanks for sharing. I want to know what those sheep are up to with their charts and inventions!
Oh, and those eyeballs crack me up….
Pipa,
Your name sounds like a shepardess. Can’t wait to read this book!
Welcome back! This book looks adorable.
I love the look of this book! And there’s no doubt you like sheep, Susanna 😀 I never took you for being “sheepish” though 😉 hehehe
Hurray! We missed you, Susanna! And I love today’s selection…what a fun book by Pippa Chorley!
Great post! It looks like a great book!