Can't Sleep Without Sheep

by Susanna Leonard Hill, Mike Wohnoutka (Illustrator)

Overview

Whenever Ava can't sleep, she counts sheep. But Ava takes so long to fall asleep, it's the sheep that are growing tired-until finally, they quit! When the sheep promise to find a replacement that Ava can count on, chaos ensues as chickens, cows, pigs, hippos, and more try their hand at jumping over Ava's fence. Finding the perfectly peaceful replacement for sheep might not be so easy after all.

With irresistibly adorable art, this delightful take on a familiar sleep tactic is sure to become a bedtime favorite.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802735171
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	59 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months

About the Author

SUSANNA LEONARD HILL is the author of Punxsutawney Phyllis and No Sword Fighting in the House (Junior Library Guild selection). She worked for many years teaching dyslexic students and now spends her time writing and presenting at schools. She lives in New York.
www.susannahill.com

MIKE WOHNOUTKA is the illustrator of Jack's House, Cowboy Sam and Those Confounded Secrets, and The Wizzy Foot. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Mike lives with his wife and two children in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
www.mikewohnoutka.com
MIKE WOHNOUTKA is the illustrator of many books including Moo!, which received two starred reviews and was chosen as an ALA Notable book and by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books as a Blue Ribbon selection; Can't Sleep Without Sheep; Just Like My Papa; and Stay Close to Mama. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Mike lives with his wife and two children in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
www.mikewohnoutka.com

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 1—Like many children, Ava counts sheep when she can't fall asleep. But the youngster has a great number of thoughts in her mind and her sheep are exhausted, so they set out to find suitable replacements. However, the other animals just aren't as well equipped for inducing sleep. The horses are too beautiful, while the chickens are ridiculous and the pigs are rather slow and lazy. The other applicants, including penguins, flamingos, armadillos, and buffalo, don't fare too well either. The sheep conclude that they are the best ones for the job and tell Ava, "Don't worry. You can count on us!" The charming, rounded illustrations are set against the backdrop of a starry night with the characters bathed in the moonlight. On many spreads, the animals take up the entire space, creating a cinematic vista. Hill's words are simple and effective, and leave room for the art to tell the story. The endpapers feature a series of repeated, lovely and puffy cloudlike sheep in mid-leap. A book that is delightful for the eyes and soothing to the ears, Can't Sleep Without Sheep will quickly become a bedtime favorite and a can't-sleep-without book.—Kim T. Ha, Elkridge Branch Library, MD

School Library Journal

When Ava's busy mind won't let her fall asleep, her mother tells her to try counting sheep, marking the last moment of convention in Hill and Wohnoutka's refreshing bedtime story. Alas, as she counts sheep jumping over a fence, Ava's mind is so busy with "ideas and questions, thoughts of today, and plans for tomorrow" that the sheep themselves become exhausted and decide to quit, leaving Ava wondering how she will ever get to sleep. Being compassionate, if pooped, the sheep promise to find a replacement. A veritable menagerie of animals on following pages attempt to jump over the fence and send Ava into dreamland, but horses are too distracting, pigs too slow, chickens too ridiculous and "the cows were a complete disaster." The acrylic illustrations make the most of the foolishness, placing the animals in ever-more-ridiculous situations. After meeting failure with hippos, buffalo and others, Ava charms the sheep with her appreciation of their efforts, and they return to work. "You can count on us," they assure her, concluding a gently humorous book that families will undoubtedly come to count on as well. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews