In our house a preschooler who broke away and made a run for it was always a Runaway Bunny, even though I found that book kind of creepy. Actually, really creepy. This is a fine alternative. Adults will appreciate the elaborate metaphor of parents as watchful sheepdogs, keeping their charges out of harm, while the kids are sneaky sheep, getting into all kinds of danger and/or trouble. Kids will appreciate the subversion of the sheep.



It's cute, it's fun, it's not heavy-handed at all. Probably all the little members of the family will be getting this next Christmas.



Library copy. ( )

Very funny and entertaining. IB PYP: risk-takers. Nope, these sheep (Blossom and Rocky) are not thinkers, balanced, knowledgeable, or reflective - this book an excellent way to reflect on these. Murphy (the herding dog) is all of these things.

Two Sheep Rocky, and Blossom were very adventerous. They wanted to see what was on the other side of the meadow. Unfortunatley Murphy their watch dog wouldn't let them leave. Blossom and Rocky, being the adventerous sheep that they were ran towards the meadow many times but kept getting got by Murphy. One day the two sheep got away and ran to the top of the meadow, but their was a scary wolf there and nobody was their to protect Rocky and Blossom. Both of the sheep ran as fast as they could away from the wolf and thankfully Murphy was their to protect them after all.
This is a great book when teaching students to always obay their parents or whomever is watching over them. You never know what might happen when you do something your not supposed to. I would read this story to children under the age of ten.

Retelling: Rocky and Blossom were two very sneaky sheep who lived in a meadow with many other sheep and a sheep-dog named murphy. Throughout the book they do all kinds of dangerous things behind the sheep dog's back. When they encounter a wolf and it looks like they've finally made their last poor choice, Murphy saves them. You'd think they'd learn, right.

Thoughts and feelings: I loved the little cartoons in this book that show the sheep doing incredibly dangerous things (e.g. sunbathing on a railroad track). It makes me want to brainstorm other things that would be humorously dangerous. Literature allows us to explore in fantasy what it isn't safe to do in reality.

While we are rather sad that Chris Monroe did not write another Monkey with a Toolbelt story, we felt much happier once we had read Sneaky Sheep.

Rocky and Blossom live in a very nice meadow with lots of nice sheep and a very nice sheep dog (his name is Murphy). But Rocky and Blossom are not happy. They want to explore! They want to try new things! They want...the greener grass high up the mountain. Murphy knows Rocky and Blossom aren't the whitest wool in the flock (insert hilarious spread of previous bad decisions) and tells them definitely NO.

Which is when the Sneakiness begins. Very, very sneaky Sneakiness. Of course, bad things happen, Murphy saves them, and all is well...for the moment!

Monroe's sketchy cartoon art is the perfect background for this hilarious take on the old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Suitable for preschoolers, this story will resonate most strongly with kindergarteners and younger elementary students who will pick up on the snarky humor.

Verdict: Highly recommended. A great book to have on hand for school visits.