Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Mircea Catusanu, The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep

Title: The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep

Author: Mircea Catusanu

Rating: Four Siren Stones

Genre: Children's Fiction

Page Count: 32

ISBN For Print (If available): 978-0670011315

Publisher:Viking Juvenile

Buy-Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670011312/?tag=gpfm-20

Reviewer: Kristin Manter

Blurb/Summary:

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.

Review:

The illustrations in this book alone make it a solid Four Siren Stone Book! Quirky images, random objects, fun speech bubbles; each page is a wonderful opportunity for children to explore and giggle.

The language of the book was easy to read and follow, even if the rhythm wasn't the typical rhyming of most books written for this age range. This book challenges young minds to reason the possibilities of why the wolf would be luring the sheep away. This delightful tale ends in a way that will be a fun surprise that will ease their impressionable minds as well as give them a problem solving technique for bedtime troubles.

This is a great bedtime story, and a wonderful anytime picture book.


No comments: