Let Me Sleep, Sheep!

Amos, a child with scribbly curls, smiles contentedly in bed as he counts sheep. But his peace doesn’t last long: “Suddenly, there was a loud THUD. And then another.” The sources of the intrusion are two sheep, Walter and Felix. The woolly visitors are irritated at being pulled out of important tasks: “Excuse me, but how would you feel if you were dragged into a strange bedroom and told to parade yourself around?” The sheep make do, though, suggesting that counting sheep means doing it correctly—beginning with building a fence. As Amos sets to work designing and constructing a wall made from toys, the sheep make themselves at home (“Do you happen to have a hot tub?” in Rudge’s pale, chalky mixed-media art, which tempers the silly circumstances. Readers may think differently about counting sheep after reading. Ages 5–8. [em](Apr.) [/em]