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A Young Shepherd by Cat Urbigkit β€” book cover

A Young Shepherd

by Cat Urbigkit
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Overview

A fascinating glimpse of the hard yet rewarded life led by Cass, a young shepherd on a farm in Wyoming. Cass makes sure the sheep on his family's farm good shelter, food, water, and protection from disease and predators--from spring, when they're born, to winter, when the their wool grows long. Although Cass cares for all the sheep on the farm, he built his own special herd from the orphaned lambs. These orphaned lambs need special attention, such as bottle feeding until they are able to eat and drink on their own. He makes sure these orphaned lambs get extra attention, bottle feeding them until they can eat and drink on their own

Synopsis

A fascinating glimpse of the hard yet rewarded life led by Cass, a young shepherd on a farm in Wyoming. Cass makes sure the sheep on his family's farm good shelter, food, water, and protection from disease and predators--from spring, when they're born, to winter, when the their wool grows long. Although Cass cares for all the sheep on the farm, he built his own special herd from the orphaned lambs. These orphaned lambs need special attention, such as bottle feeding until they are able to eat and drink on their own. He makes sure these orphaned lambs get extra attention, bottle feeding them until they can eat and drink on their own.

About the Author, Cat Urbigkit

Cat Urbigkit is the author and photographer of Path of the Pronghorn, a School Library Journal, starred review; Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs: How They Guard Sheep, an IRA Notable Children's Book; Cattle Kids: A Year on the Western Range; A Young Shepherd,a Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year; and Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice. She lives in Wyoming.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Phyllis Kennemer

Featuring her twelve-year-old son Cass and his responsibilities on their sheep ranch in Wyoming, Urbigkit has clearly depicted the intricacies of raising and caring for sheep. Beautiful, full-color photographs capture the beauty of the western landscape and offer close-up views of sheep in their various stages of maturity. Cass is shown preparing a formula to replace milk and then feeding orphan lambs. He keeps track of his lambs' birth dates, vaccinations, and important data in a large ledger. He also grooms some of his lambs for a 4-H fair. He assists with all of the chores associated with a large ranch. He is shown working with the sheep dogs and helping his dad with shearing in the spring. During the winter he participates in taking hay out to the sheep in the fields. Five breeds of sheep are pictured and briefly described on the last page of the book. This title offers an intriguing summary of this type of ranch life as experienced by one young man.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Urbigkit does a solid job of capturing a year in the life of her son, Cass, a 12-year-old shepherd. The text, which varies from one sentence to several paragraphs per page, briefly describes the care required by the bum (orphaned) lambs with which he started his own flock on his family's ranch in Wyoming. The various stages of the animals' lives are clearly discussed, as are the preparations necessary for showing the sheep in a county fair. The author presents basic information without overwhelming readers. The vocabulary is appropriate, but not technical. The superb, full-color photos correlate wonderfully with the narrative. Some are obviously posed, but not staged, and close-ups add eye appeal. The book's spacious size leaves room for wide white margins around the words and pictures. A page with photos and descriptions of five breeds, and youngsters who have raised them, is appended. This title is an excellent example of the way it really is "down on the farm."-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Book Details

Published
March 1, 2006
Publisher
Boyds Mills Press
Pages
32
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781590783641

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