Mom's Review: The artwork is worth the price of the book alone, I dare you not to fall in love with his adorable face. The prose is simple, sweet and the storyline perfect for the young and old alike, as we have all suffered the difficulty of not being able to get to sleep. Russell has a charming personality and kids will enjoy his silly antics & maybe at the same time learn some ways of helping them get to sleep -- if they can stop giggling that is. This one is a must for all parents and ab More...

Okay, I read a LOT of picture books. It's an occupational hazard. I rarely add them to my Goodreads list because I feel like it would unfairly influence my "must read at least 52 books per year" list.

However, this is the week of my RTMLA "Bedtime" storytime, and I picked this book. And I'M IN LOVE. It worked so well as a read-aloud. The kids didn't wiggle, the parents giggled, and everyone liked helping me count the sheep. The drawings are detailed and funny and interesting. The kids could see More...

I didn’t have high expectations for this book because I wasn’t wild about the cover illustration. But, I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

The illustrations are a hoot. They are so cute. A sheep with a teddy bear, one with dentures in a cup, one with a newspaper, and much more, and Russell’s companion on nearly every page, a frog. Most of the pages have much to view, and much of it is amusing. I also ended up liking the art style, at least in conjunction with the story. I love the blues and gr More...

The cover gt me again! Russell the sheep looks like Abigail rectangular cotton ball with twig legs..... Soooo cute! But seeing him hanging from a swing by his back hooves in Frogsbottom Field, complete with striped hat, cracked me up.he try's to go to sleep, first by pulling his extra-long cap over his eyes... Nope... Then he takes off his coat... Hilarious....try's a frog as a pillow.... ( omg) takes a walk to try and find a "better place" to sleep... I would not have recommended the trunk of a More...

Currently reading every night. Christine brought me this book when she came to visit in October, she made a special trip to get it for me because she hadn't expected to see me so soon. I'm glad she did, because when Russell tries to use a frog as his pillow, it makes me laugh so hard. A pillow that's a frog and goes ribbit and get's mad.

Are you laughing too? NO? Then you need to get a copy of Russell the Sheep so you can laugh. BAAA or MOOOO...sometimes I still get confused about what sheep say More...

After my 4yr old son said, "Rob Scotton is my favorite author," I decided to check out his books beyond Splat the Cat. He loved Russell the Sheep so much I had to read the book cover to cover, including the book jacket. He'd give Russell 5 stars, but as the reader, I found some of the writing chopping. The illustrations are beautiful. The story simple, Russell can't sleep. He attempts a change of scenery, then starts counting. That's where the story drops off for me. I would have liked Russell t More...

http://owltellyouaboutit.com/2012/03/17/russell-the-sheep/

I didn't know this was Rob Scotton's first picture book before I picked it up. I've been reading his Splat the Cat books. I just thought I'd should try his Russell the Sheep books too. They're just as cute as Splat!

Russell has a lot of trouble getting to sleep. He tries all sorts of things to make himself go to bed. Finally he decides to count things, but it's not until he starts counting sheep that he finds something to make him sleepy. More...

Scotton, Rob. (2005). Russell the Sheep. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Annotation: For preschoolers to first graders. In this story, Russell is the only one in Frogsbottom Field who cannot fall asleep. He tries several things to help him fall asleep and finally he begins counting things: his legs, the stars, and even sheep. Younger readers will relate to this book because they too may have trouble falling asleep at night. Additionally, young children can count along with Russell, pointing to eac More...

Russell's flock went to sleep, but Russell cannot fall asleep! He decided to count feet, but he didn't have enough feet. He counted all the stars in the sky, and he still couldn't fall asleep. What is a sheep to do?

Russell is quite the character. He's fluffy and funny with a silly hat. The counting in the book is a great addition to the story. Counting can be easily done with the audience as an interaction activity.

Theme: Sheep
Additional themes: Sleep, Counting

Reviewed from a library copy. More...

Poor Russell the Sheep has a bout of insomnia, and will try anything to get some sleep, but he keeps trying, optimistic that something will eventually help him sleep...anyone guess where this one is going? Predictable, but still a good one. I especially love the illustrations in this one, so fun and funny, with great detail and lots of personality. A great choice for a bedtime read that isn't too saccharine.

I dunno. I liked the other sheep with their denture cup, teddy bear, quilts.... The sidekick frog was cute. The story was illogical & implausible, even given a thorough suspension of disbelief. Maybe I'd like it more if I were a toddler or were sharing it with one, and since I believe this to be fairly likely I won't give it the two stars I'm tempted to that reflect just my own opinion.

Scotten (author of Spat the Cat), has a nice readaloud with Russell the Sheep. Russell has trouble sleeping. In an effort to nod off, he tries getting comfortable, different sleeping locations, and even counting things. His counting of the starts is particularly funny. At last he gets the bright idea to...count sheep! Which finally does the trick.

The artwork in this book is fantastic. There are so meny ideas that Russell tried to use to fall asleep. I like the fact that while reading this book it teaches the kids how to count. The book also introduces kids to what stars look like. Sheeps were a big part of the book.

Extension: The children will line up in front of the classroom and one of the children will count the sheep, and the last child that counted will sit down and then another child will count the remaining sheep.

I'm shocked at the high ratings for this book. The beginning and end are fine but the ending takes all that 'fine' away, it sucked. It's just nothingness. Julia looked at me wondering if that was it and I have to admit to feeling the same way.
The illustrations are awesome though anf frankly, the best part of the book.

Russell the sheep can't sleep! So what does he do? Count sheep!

Though I myself have no issues with nocturnal hobbies, this is a very cute picture book for bedtime.

The texture of the illustrations makes me want to pet this book. (Oh, alright, I did pet this book. What? Don't pretend like you've never done it.)

Rob Scotton does it again! Adorable story with the cutest illustrations. Again, the detail in their expressions and exaggerations in their positions are memorable. This is one series that was available when my 2 youngest were starting to read. So much fun. I always get excited when Rob Scotton has a new book out!

This would be a great book to read to a lower elementary class. You could have the students help you count the sheep. Russel the sheep cannot fall asleep and tries to find ways to help him fall asleep. Finally, he resorts to counting the sheep int he field with him and he finally falls asleep.

It started out all right. I was expecting more because I'd liked the other Russell book so much. (I tend to like sheep books even more because of Mom anyhow!) It wasn't great until at least halfway through. Then I very much enjoyed it. Of course, I loved the pictures throughout. There's humor as long as you choose to see it, and choose to laugh at it.

2/6/13 & 2/7/13: I put this in the "comfort" theme, mostly because I brought Shaun the Sheep in as the comfort toy object, and Shaun and Russel More...

Being a sheep lover myself I loved this book. The illustration had detail that could be overlooked if not careful. But if you noticed all the subtle touchs, the pictures are so funny. The story is wonderful as well and keep s you reading. A great book to read more than once.

A cute and wonderfully illustrated bedtime story for young children. There are not too many words so kids can follow along, and every child can relate to having trouble sleeping. Thoroughly enjoyed this little story and I cannot wait to read it as a bedtime story myself.

This is such an adorable book! I gave this to my niece Tamsyn when she was born - yes clearly too young but that doesn't matter! It'll be there for when she's old enough for it. I just had to get one for my own family though, I love Russell to bits (and there's the sheep theme again!).

Russell can't sleep - he tries different places, but they're too cramped or too crowded or too creepy and he can't get comfy, so he tries counting things, like his feet, and the stars, but nothing works until he ha More...

This is a fun story about an adorable insomniac sheep who tries many different methods to fall asleep. The illustrations are muted and cartoonish and the narrative is humorous. We enjoyed reading this together and our girls loved Russell's hat!

This book is about a sheep trying to fall asleep. He tries many things then decides to try counting sheep and he falls asleep.
I would use this book in my class along with a lesson about writing creative story's about things we have heard.

Russell the Sheep is meant for young children. This would be a great counting book. If your theme was farm animals this would be a great book to read during that week. It has a little bit of humor tied in. All around, it is just a cute book. :)

Poor Russell the Sheep can't go to sleep! So he tries all different things that might help, but nothing seems to work.

A really cute picture book and I thought the illustrations of all the different sheep were really cute and funny.

This book is so cute, it puts an answer to why we count sheep when we cant fall asleep and pairs this legend with a silly sheep named Russell. The pictures are so cute and the story is relatable to children of all ages! I suggest :)

Russell can't seem to fall asleep. He tries all kinds of different things but still can't fall asleep. He tries counting his feet and then the stars but nothing works. Finally he counts sheep and is finally able to fall asleep.

Oh Russell! You are a hot mess, but you are fun. Both my son and daughter really enjoy Russell as he and his hat embark on their adventures! We own most of the Russell books, and look forward to more to come!

This book would be useful to connect math conent to literacy. The sheep counts throughout the book which will help with lower grades math content standards. Simple read that the younger students would enjoy.

This was a really fun library find. Russell is darling, the story is fun to read, and the illustrations (especially of the sleeping sheep) are hilarious. We would definitely check this one out again.