This book was absolutely adorable, and I will be picking up a copy for every single one of my friends with toddlers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ok, not really memorable. We read it one time and my son never asked for it again :-( Makes me sad to give it only 3 stars because a lot people must have put a lot of work into making this book, but the story needed more to be memorable,

Really cute book about bedtime! As a mom of 4 children - two of which are anti-sleep - I found this book hilarious! It would make a great bedtime story!

I liked the story in this book and it had some great images.
Definitely a book I feel I am going to need in the future as my daughter only wants to go to bed when we do at the moment so I am certainly up for trying this one on her!
A fun story that it easy to follow and younger children will really enjoy the story - 4 stars from me

Poor Duncan, he will do anything he can to avoid going to sleep. But mom has had enough of it. She saturates his room with all he needs to counteract his excuses: jug of water (check), directions to bathroom (check), cuddly toys (check), flashlight (check), long and short books (check)...she’s got everything covered but Duncan still can’t fall to sleep. So, she suggests he count sheep. He starts counting and things are going well until he reaches #68. What happened?

My six year old was clearly on Duncan’s side. He so identified with him and laughed and became excited during parts of this. We both thought the first half of the tale with Duncan’s sleep dilemma was better than the second half.

Enjoyable!

This was funny! I'm sort of sorry I wasn't as resourceful as the mom in this story when my kiddo was young! I think kids and adults alike will enjoy reading this story. The illustrations were a hoot and fir the text to perfection! Great story!

Great for young children. A perfect bedtime story that i am definitely going to purchase for my children. Recommend as well.

Loved this book! And great illustrations! My kids also enjoyed this book before bed! Thank you netgally for making bedtime more fun!

Duncan loves pretty much everything about bedtime except for actually going to sleep. While he has many, many strategies to avoid the sleeping aspect of bedtime, his mom has a few tricks up her sleeve too. When Duncan can’t think of another excuse, he decides to start counting sheep. In a clever twist, Sheep #68 has a lot of reasons why just can’t jump over the bed yet, and Duncan gets a taste of his own medicine.

Humorous, and very relatable. Kids will enjoy Duncan’s predicament while parents will delight in the irony.

Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Sparrow
Illustrations by: Guillaume Perreault
Publisher: Kids Can Press
ISBN: 9781771387965

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Kids Can Press for the ebook ARC of Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Sparrow in exchange for an honest review.

There are lots of things that Duncan likes about bedtime - the stories, pyjamas, and bubble gum flavoured toothpaste… The only thing he doesn’t like about going to sleep. And he will do anything to avoid it. Until, one day, Duncan’s mom has enough of his stalling. Try counting sheep, she tells him.
So he does… At first, its kind of fun. As he counts, each sheep appears, wearing its number like a race car, and leaps over the bed. But when Sheep #68, who hesitates. He needs a drink of water before he can jump. Then he has to go to the bathroom. Then he wants to put on running shoes. Will Sheep #68 ever do what he’s supposed to?

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. I read this book to my 4 year old daughter, who very much enjoyed the book.
Cute illustrations and story. Good book to read to the child who likes avoiding going to sleep.

I really enjoyed reading this book about a kid who struggles to go to sleep, until he realizes that it is not easy for his counting sheep either to fall asleep. From there, he will need to adopt a new perspective and be the one helping a sheet to feel calm and relax enough to go to bed. The illustrations were very colorful and pleasant to look at, with many adorable details that kept me enchanted.

The boy is counting the sheep, starting at #1. At one point, he is about to count sheep #68, but on the previous images, there are already sheep #991 or #103, which doesn't make any sense to me. In the same way, I don't understand why sheep #69 appeared in the end, as the little boy didn't call it out... This illogical aspect removed some of the fun I had reading this book, which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

Sleep, Sheep! is a picturebook written by Kerry Lyn Sparrow and illustrated by Guillaume Perrault. There are lots of things Duncan likes about bedtime; the stories, the pajamas, the bubblegum-flavored toothpaste. The only thing he doesn't like is going to sleep, and he'll do anything he can to avoid it. One day Duncan's mom has had enough of his stalling. “Try counting sheep,” she tells him. So, he does. At first, it's kind of fun. As he counts, each sheep appears, wearing its number like a race car, and leaps over the bed. But then comes Sheep #68, who hesitates. He needs a drink of water before he can jump. Then he has to go to the bathroom. Then he wants to put on running shoes. Will Sheep #68 ever do what he's supposed to?

Sleep, Sheep! is a great bedtime book that parents and children can enjoy. Parents can appreciate the amount of stalling tactics that Duncan has learned, and the skill that his mother has used to shut them all done. There are some great tips there for we adults. I think seeing the young boy facing the same arguments his parents had faced with him can help children see themselves in the story and hopefully empathize with the adults that might normally give a hard time. The story and illustrations are fun and amusing, I liked the good natured humor of the story and the charming illustration. I think this will be a bed time and general read aloud hit, with many requested re reads in the future.

The tables have turned in this bedtime story for all of those children who have a difficult time going to sleep. Kerry Sparrow is a literary genius in Sleep, Sheep! who created a solution for the child who needs one more glass of water, different pajamas, needs to go to the bathroom, etc... (why didn't think of it).

The first twist in the plot occurs when Duncan has everything he needs to go to bed and finally concludes, "but, I'm not sleepy!" Duncan's mom suggests, "Try counting sheep." Using his imagination, he finds that sheep counting can be quite effective.. I will let you read this story to see how the plot changes for the second time.

From the Publisher: There are lots of things Duncan likes about bedtime --- the stories, the pajamas, the bubblegum-flavored toothpaste ... The only thing he doesn't like is going to sleep. And he'll do anything he can to avoid it. Until one day, Duncan's mom has had enough of his stalling. “Try counting sheep,” she tells him. So, he does. At first, it's kind of fun. As he counts, each sheep appears, wearing its number like a race car, and leaps over the bed. But then comes Sheep #68, who hesitates. He needs a drink of water before he can jump. Then he has to go to the bathroom. Then he wants to put on running shoes. Will Sheep #68 ever do what he's supposed to?

Kerry Lyn Sparrow's hilarious picture book story offers a new take on a universal experience. Using delaying tactics to avoid going to sleep at bedtime is a common routine for young children, and they'll love the sly humor when Duncan's own tricks get turned on him by the (“sheepish”) sheep. In subtle colors with lots of telling details, Guillaume Perreault's illustrations bring Duncan's bedtime rituals and his unexpected sheep guests humorously to life. This book makes a fantastic, funny read-aloud, appealing to both children and adults.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I read this book as a part of my #BookaDay Reading Challenge, inspired by Donalyn Miller. My goal is to read at least one children's literature book every weekday and share my thoughts here on my blog.

There are copious amounts of going to bed books out in the world. From classics like Goodnight Moon, to the irreverent like I Dare You Not to Yawn. You could go to any shelf in the library and find numerous books about the bedtime process so I was indeed sceptical of Sleep, Sheep by Kerry Lyn Sparrow and Guillaume Perreault published by Kids Can Press. What could a new bedtime book possibly accomplish that has not already been said before? I was completely and pleasantly surprised. Obviously writing from experience, Kerry Lyn Sparrow turns the bedtime frustrations on their head as Duncan gets ready for bedtime. Duncan loved to avoid going to sleep and figured he had enough tricks to keep him from going to sleep for the “foreseeable future”. He doesn’t realize “mom had a few tricks up her sleeve, too”. When he’s settled in mom suggests he count sheep so he does. All goes well until sheep #68 shows up and begins feeding Duncan the same lines he feeds his mom at bedtime.

A super cute story you will enjoy reading just as much as your children love listening. ANother wonderful Kids Can Press story that is on heavy bedtime rotation in our house these days and I know it will be a favourite for many years to come. With a little light humour Kerry Lyn Sparrow demonstrates the frustrations many of us parents have during bedtime by having the child in the story experience them hoping to instil a little empathy in your little one.

The art by Guillaume Perreault is so great in this story. From the highlighting of certain objects in Duncan’s room to the expressions on the faces of all the characters, you just fall right into the story. You will have so much fun checking out all the sheep who are all accessorized differently. I really love how Kids Can Press brought together an author and an illustrator both from the Ottawa area to create this beautiful book. I really believe Sleep, Sheep will stand out amongst all of the bedtime books and can easily become a new favourite for your family.

Please see my full review of this funny bedtime story on Reading Rumpus: https://www.readingrumpus.com/2018/09/book-bit-sleep-sheep-bedtime-story-for.html
(also posted to goodread, librarything, twitter, facebook, pinterest, and instagram)

Duncan has an arsenal of tricks up his sleeve to put off going to sleep as long as possible. His mom has just as many tricks up her sleeve and out-thinks Duncan so he can’t come up with any other reason to not go to sleep. But he isn’t sleepy. His mom suggests counting sheep. To Duncan’s surprise, as he starts counting sheep his room fills with sheep with racing numbers on their sides waiting to be counted. He finds this extremely interesting until he comes to #68. #68 isn’t sure he’s ready to cross to the other side of the room yet, and Duncan gets a little taste of his own medicine.

Touché sheep #68. Way to give Duncan a taste of his own procrastination techniques. Kids should find this funny and entertaining while adults will be hoping that kids catch on to the point of the story. I can just see a family reading this and calling each other on becoming sheep #68 if they’re procrastinating going to bed. Highly recommended to anyone who has to go to bed before they want to or any adults who have to put kids to bed before they want to go. (And of course it is also good for an entertaining read.)

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is sweet and the illustrations are engaging. I think my children would read this often.

Grammatically; the ellipses are often a space away from the preceding word. This should be fixed before publication.

Duncan is prepared to use every trick up his sleeve to avoid going to bed. Unfortunately, this time his Mum is one step ahead of him and has provided everything he could possibly need, from night-lights to extra blankets. So when he tells her he’s just not sleepy, she suggests he counts sheep….

To Duncan’s surprise, his room is soon full of sheep waiting to be counted, who jump one by one over his bed. That is, until it’s the turn of sheep #68, who can’t jump without a glass of water, a trip to the toilet, socks off, socks back on… Will Duncan convince sheep #68 to jump so they can all finally get some sleep?

Children and parents everywhere will be amused by this unique take on the age-old battle of bedtime – for once it is a child who has to be the voice of reason and deal with all the usual excuses in order to help a troublesome sheep get ready to sleep.

The illustration style is fresh and original, with background objects being given only a black outline and foreground objects in colour. The colours are soft and reassuring, suitable for a bedtime story. A delightful read!

Duncan likes everything about getting ready for bed! He likes cool pajamas and brushing his teeth with bubblegum flavored toothpaste. When it comes to actually falling asleep, Duncan will try anything and everything to stall. Little does he realize that mom’s are experts and his mom has a few trick up her sleeve. After making sure Duncan has everything he needs in his room, she suggests he try counting sheep to fall asleep. Everything is going smoothly until he gets to sheep #68. This particular sheep is very similar to Duncan. Number 68 is hesitant to make his jump. He needs a drink of water. He has to go to the bathroom. He is not ready to jump. Will sheep #68 make his jump? Will Duncan finally drift off to sleep? Read Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Sparrow, available on October 2nd.

Everyone knows a child like Duncan! This book had me giggling as I read, noticing the similarities between Duncan and my own child. Students will easily identify the similarities between Duncan and Sheep #68. This book is a great read aloud or bedtime story. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for making this ARC available.

Duncan is pretty much okay with bedtime. The snacks, stories, putting on his favorite pajamas, and even brushing his teeth (if there is bubblegum-flavored toothpaste) is not a problem. The one and only problem? Going to sleep.

But this smart little boy is full of tricks to stall bedtime: he needs to go to the bathroom, he's thirsty, he needs a night light, etc. In fact, he's developed a stellar list of stalls. Only one problem with this smart little boy's well thought out plan. He has a smart mama.

To Duncan's dismay, when he sees that his room has been stocked with everything he might ask for or need: warmer pajamas, cooler pajamas, directions to the bathroom, night-light, water glass and jug of water for refills, etc., he realizes he has a problem. A big problem!

That night, after his favorite bedtime story and a hug and kiss from Mom, Duncan's left nearly speechless.

"But I need--"

What is there to need? His room has EVERYTHING!

Now what? Time for wailing! Duncan pleads that he's not sleepy. Mom suggests he try counting sheep as she closes his bedroom door.

With no other choices, Duncan settles under the covers, takes a deep breath and begins counting. To his surprise, a cute sheep with a green number one on his side jumps over the bed. Duncan rubs his eyes and says two. Another sheep, this time with a purple number and matching scarf, leaps over the bed. As he continues to count, sheep leap over him. Things appear to be working as his eyes slowly grow heavy. But when he reaches No. 68 the sheep refuses to jump over the bed.

What's that? No. 68 needs a drink of water? Now he needs to go to the bathroom? What? He might need running shoes to make the jump!

Will Duncan ever be able to sleep?

My Thoughts:

What Concerned Me: Nothing

What I Liked Most: This was fun on so many levels. I liked the fact that kids will be able to laugh at themselves and their own ploys to avoid bedtime. Little ones (and parents) will chuckle when they look at the illustrations of Duncan's bedroom stocked with everything he might ask for at bedtime.

The cartoon-like artwork, rendered in pencil crayon and colored in Photoshop is perfect. The soft colored pictures add lots of detail and humor to the story.