Where Is the Green Sheep?

From The Critics

The green sheep may have gone AWOL until the last page, but there's no shortage of woolly wonders to see along the way. Wee ones will love all the nonsensical breeds, from the "sun sheep" (a sunbathing ewe complete with tropical drink) to the "rain sheep" (a drenched sheep swinging from a lamppost ala Gene Kelly). (Ages birth to 2)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

Publishers Weekly

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.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Everybody loves sheep and this flock cunningly portrays concepts in a fun and clever manner. We are first introduced to the blue sheep and the red sheep. Sheep in various activities are presented but one sheep is missing—the green sheep. Tanning sheep, diving sheep, even Gene Kelly in sheep's clothing makes an appearance dancing and singing in the rain. (Twenty-first century children will most likely not understand that allusion, but it is a great page!) Horacek's playful pen and watercolor images convey Fox's text with practical simplicity and friendly colors with just the right amount of white space on each spread. A few opposites are included along with an assortment of colorful and color-less sheep engaged in different activities. Can you find the reflective sheep? But what about that elusive green sheep?—by the end of the book you will find it was there all along—beginning with the title page! 2004, Harcourt, Ages 2 to 4.
—Elizabeth Young

School Library Journal

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 Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

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)