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Book cover of Sheep on a Ship
Fiction - Animals, Children - Fiction & Literature, Children - Poetry

Sheep on a Ship

by Nancy E. Shaw, Margot Apple
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Overview

The rhyming misadventures of a group of zany sheep on a pirate ship. "A joyous lark for story time sharing or for the beginning reader's independent amusement." -- Booklist

Sheep on a deep-sea voyage run into trouble when it storms and are glad to come paddling into port.

Synopsis

The rhyming misadventures of a group of zany sheep on a pirate ship.

Publishers Weekly

The team that delivered the winning and funny Sheep in a Jeep have joined forces again for another irresistible trip in rhyme. The sheep are depicted as pirates, lulled to sleep on a calm green sea, but are awakened as ``Dark clouds form / a sudden storm.'' The boat pitches as ``Winds whip. / Sails rip. / Sheep can't sail / their sagging ship.'' Sheep abandon ship for a raft, dragging their treasure chest along, and drift until ``Land ho! / Not far to go.'' When the dripping sheep finally reach the dock they are ``glad to end their trip.'' The spare text is easily mastered by the beginning reader, while adults reading this aloud will appreciate the tongue-twisters and rollicking rhymes. Apple's softly shaded colored pencil drawings add just the right touch of whimsy. Readers will hear the call of the sea, and wish for another adventure--soon. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)

About the Author, Nancy E. Shaw

Nancy Shaw is the author of seven beloved tales featuring the endearing and comical sheep. She

came up with the idea for the sheep books during a very long car trip with her husband and two children. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her family. For more information, visit

http://www.nancyshawbooks.com/.

Margot Apple is a freelance illustrator, having illustrated more than fifty books for children while also producing illustrations for "Cricket" and "Ladybug" magazines. She now lives in Shelburn Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and their pets, a dog and a cat.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The team that delivered the winning and funny Sheep in a Jeep have joined forces again for another irresistible trip in rhyme. The sheep are depicted as pirates, lulled to sleep on a calm green sea, but are awakened as ``Dark clouds form / a sudden storm.'' The boat pitches as ``Winds whip. / Sails rip. / Sheep can't sail / their sagging ship.'' Sheep abandon ship for a raft, dragging their treasure chest along, and drift until ``Land ho! / Not far to go.'' When the dripping sheep finally reach the dock they are ``glad to end their trip.'' The spare text is easily mastered by the beginning reader, while adults reading this aloud will appreciate the tongue-twisters and rollicking rhymes. Apple's softly shaded colored pencil drawings add just the right touch of whimsy. Readers will hear the call of the sea, and wish for another adventure--soon. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

"A joyous lark for story time sharing or for the beginning reader's independent amusement." Booklist, ALA

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

Sheep were never the brightest of hoofed creatures—a truth Shaw and Apple capitalized upon in their original series of picture books now finding a second life as board books. It is a good life, too, since Shaw's simple rhymes in a readable type size ("Waves lap. Sails flap. Sheep read a map, but begin to nap.") transfer nicely to the smaller page format. Apple's double-spread drawings work well, too. The Spanish main pirate caravel flaunts the skull-and-crossbones' banner from its crow's nest. While in the throes of a sudden vicious storm, it sways, bounces, founders and sinks so believably that the viewer can almost feel a nasty bout of seasickness coming on. And then there are the sheep themselves. Has any ship's crew ever looked less like pirates? Has any crew ever been as hapless? The entire flock's expressions are priceless. Its response to the crisis is also priceless: sheep-like, the lot opts for chaos. But never fear, dry land and safety will appear. This is a fun book to have back in any format. Toddlers and very early readers are definitely going to enjoy the reissue. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

Book Details

Published
October 1, 1992
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages
32
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780395643761

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