The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep

by Mircea Catusanu

1, 2, 3 . . . hey, where?d all the sheep go?? In a place called Happy Valley, there live ten sheep. Every night, the ten sheep are counted into their beds by one Super Sheep Dog named Doug. But one day, the sheep are missing! Who could have stolen them? Might it be Wolf, who lives in the Dark Forest? And for what nefarious purpose? Does he want to knit them into a blanket? Bake them into a pie? Or maybe he wants to . . . count them? With kooky, creative illustrations and an unexpected ending that will get kids giggling, this is a lively story about the fun of counting .. . and a bedtime surprise.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Counting, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2009

Reviews

[Erin]

In Happy Valley, ten happy sheep play all day with one Super Dog to watch over them. Next to the valley is the Dark Forest where the wolf lives. One day the wolf lures the sheep away with candy. Super Dog leaps into action! But wait--what is going on here? The poor wolf just wanted to count the sheep so he could get some sleep...but they won't stop moving!

This is a fun one to read aloud with a child sitting next to you or on your lap so you can see all the amusing things in the illustrations. I love that the twist that has the wolf not being a bad guy for a change.

[Shel]

Catusanu, M. (2009). The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep. New York: Viking.

9780670011315


Appetizer: "Inspired by TRUE events," this "thriller"shares the story of how a wolf tempted ten sheep to his house in the dark forest. It's up to the sheep dog to find the sheep and bring them home.

What a fun picturebook! I love how this story has a lot of fun with a wolf trying to catch the sheep.

There's a lot of activity on each page, with signs, arrows, the occasional definition, not to mention all the different activities the sheep get up to. Kids will want to spend some time staring at the stylized (predominately orange) illustrations.

I especially like the endpages of this thriller picturebook, since they show a pair of hands with the one of the ten sheep above each finger, it would be the PERFECT page to pause over with a toddler to reaffirm how to count to ten.


Dinner Conversation:

"In a place called Happy Valley, there lived ten sheep...and one Super Sheep Dog named Doug."

"Next to the Happy Valley was the Dark Forest. Wolf lived here. And he had a problem...."

"I need sheep..."

"Sheep, get in line! I...2...3..."


To Go with the Meal:

This fun book can be used as a bedtime read, with a teacher or parent discussing some of the routines necessary to get ready for sleep and encouraging wee little ones to count sheep as they drift off. And in general, this book can be used to help with counting.

This could also be a fun read. Kids will like that it plays with expectations over why the wolf wants the sheep.


Tasty Rating: !!!!

[Alyssa Mandell]

A silly book about lost sheep. I wasn't super excited by this story.

[Lori]

amusing story, amusing illustrations.

[Shiloah]

Kind of a wasted read aloud. Too weird and basic.

[Nancy]

Strange is an accurate word for the title

[Erin]

Great illustrations. Story was too simple. Would have liked some character development.

[Kirsten Murphy]

Fun twist that challenges perceptions of characters

[Magila]

This isn't a bad book when it comes to counting. It just isn't fabulous. I liked Doug, and I truly appreciated how the art is reminiscent of an old newspaper.

I guess, if I can be complainy, the trope of sheep and other barnyard animals is widely used. If you are going to write something memorable, it needs to be just that, memorable. It needs to add something to the "dialogue." This one didn't, it was transactional, it was ok.

So, for early counting, with a little bit of humor, this isn't bad. It's not the best sheep, barnyard, "fable-esque," counting, etc book. It's an ok mix of that lot.

Borrow it.

[Asho]

I can't help but like this book because the sheep dog shares a name with our beloved hound dog Doug. Overall, though, this one is a bit strange. The story doesn't quite flow for me, and the illustrations, reminiscent of Lane Smith's work, are really busy. (That could be a good thing, tough, it would give older little ones quite a bit to look at and talk about.) I loved the surprising explanation for why the wolf needed the sheep, though, so that combined with "Doug" makes this a 4 star read for us.

[Meghan]

I wanted to love this book, since it looked perfect for story time or as a counting book. Unfortunately, the strangely overwhelming orange caste to the illustrations, coupled with a muddy story made this picture book a disappointment. The wolf luring the sheep into the forest with candy struck me as a little sinister; although the reader finds out he brought them home to help him sleep. The endpapers were quite nice...

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

The kind of thing that you read to your very young child(ren). Some mildly amusing trope subversion, and nice art. (Came across this when I was searching the library catalogue for The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump, and was so intrigued and amused by the title that I requested it.) Probably more like a 3.5.

[Elizabeth]

The illustrations in this book were mildly irritating. To be more specific, I actually liked the artwork itself but there was too much going on that was distracting (labels and speech bubbles that detracted from what was going on). Super Dog was also in my opinion, out of place and unnecessary. Overall a cute take on a common theme.

[Amber Adams]

The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep was an exciting book. This book tells the old and familiar story of a Wolf kidnapping sheep. However this wolf convinces the sheep to come to his house but it ends in a twist. This book uses addition skills to count they sheep to and from the farm. This book can be used in my K-1 grades to help with counting strategies.

[Michael]

Looking for a good bedtime read, for the kids that is. No smut, no horror, no politics, nor romance, princesses, dragons, etc., just a wolf, a dog, and ten sheep. You will have to read it to find out what happened. Kids enjoyed it. Don't overlook the art work, and subtle murmurings of the sheep, they were put in there for us adults

[A]

Funny little plot twist. The wolf lures the sheep into his home inside the dark forest because he wants to count them so he can get some sleep. Illustrations are labeled and use pointing arrows to show directions between Happy Valley (where the sheep live) and the Dark Forest (where the wolf lives)

[Alexandria Hiam]

Funny little plot twist. The wolf lures the sheep into his home inside the dark forest because he wants to count them so he can get some sleep. Illustrations are labeled and use pointing arrows to show directions between Happy Valley (where the sheep live) and the Dark Forest (where the wolf lives)

[Maria]

If you're going to post a review, Katie, it'd be helpful if you took the time to type out more than three characters, maybe that way you can actually contribute to the discussion concerning this wonderfully imaginative children's book.

[Dolly]

Very odd story. The illustrations are fun, but the various labels and assorted miscellaneous text are distracting. It's a short story and fun to read aloud, if you don't get too sidetracked. Otherwise, it's a good book to look at the pictures and point out the things you see.

[Ashley]

2009 - Fantasy In this book, there are some sheep that live in Happy Valley. One day, the sheep dog that tends to them finds them all missing. They had been lured away by the wolf. The sheep dog must go and rescue them. The ending has a nice surprise.

[Megan]

Would love to use this in a storytime!

[Valerie]

Don't care for the style of illustration, nor the color choice

[Samantha Hastings]

Bronze illustrations tell the story of the need to count sheep to sleep.

[Christian]

It would be a six star if there were that many.

[Mary]

Although perhaps not the greatest story, the naming of places and things was a bit clever.

[Doria]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nj_mK...

[Paula]

More smart-aleckry propagated among the picture books! Strong, expressive hepcat illustrations done in paint and old-fashioned clipart. Fun details, silly sheep, and a happy ending!

[Rachel]

Fun illustrations, but sometimes to over the wall, and extra words in illustrations don't often connect or have real purpose.

[Dorian]

beautiful, original and unique illustrations

[Thomas]

funny funny funny