Sheep Won't Sleep

June 12, 2017
An insomniac girl named Clarissa tries counting sheep to fall sleep, but it has the opposite effect: “A loud baa made her open her eyes, and to her surprise, she saw ten sheep in her room.” Counting additional animals—alpacas by twos, llamas by fives, and 50 yaks by 10s—results in 100 animals landing in Clarissa’s room, flamboyantly colored in bold shades and patterns. To clean up the menagerie, Clarissa counts backward, winding the animals’ wool into an enormous ball of yarn, which she knits into an afghan. It’s a rowdy introduction to counting, addition, and subtraction that’s anything but soporific. Ages 4–7.

September 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-When Clarissa can't sleep, she tries counting sheep-but as the eponymous sheep appear in her bedroom, they encourage Clarissa to redouble her efforts by counting alpacas by twos, llamas by fives, and yaks by tens, until 100 colorful animals are crowded into her bedroom. Recognizing that she will never get to sleep with the noise and the smell, she decides to subtract and unwind them into a giant ball of yarn, then knits them into an afghan, which finally helps her to fall fast asleep. Cuneo's pen-and-digital-ink artwork cleverly links the mathematical principles of skip counting to the colors and patterns of knitting using niche vocabulary such as "Fair Isles," "argyle," and "cables" as well as the brightly colored and patterned animals that fill the pages. The illustrations depict humorous details, such as a sheep wearing a lampshade on its head, and are characterized primarily by blocks of solid color rather than texture or line. VERDICT This story provides an entertaining and humorous introduction to skip counting suitable for early elementary students. It will certainly be enjoyed by animal lovers, insomniacs, and anyone familiar with the conspicuous amount of math involved in knitting.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
A happy array of wooly creatures tries to help bring about a good night's sleep. A wide-awake girl decides to count sheep in order to fall asleep. She closes her eyes and counts by ones up to 10, all fluffy white and smiling--and in her bedroom. The 10 have great fun there but are not successful at sending Clarissa to sleep, so they suggest counting alpacas by twos. Clarissa welcomes 20 more colorful creatures but is still wide awake. Twenty striped and polka-dot llamas, counted by fives, follow. Fifty patterned yaks, counted by 10s, join the menagerie. This is just too much bedtime, bedroom mayhem for the tired girl, so she does what a good knitter would do. She starts unwinding wool from the 100 frolicking beasts until she has wound up a great big, enormous ball of very colorful yarn and knits herself a lovely afghan. Children can count along, add the numbers, and then subtract them in this enjoyably crafty bedtime tale. The pen-and-digital ink drawings feature one black-haired, white Clarissa and a multitude of appealing and colorful critters, beloved by all knitters. Count them, play with them, and knit them into one wonderful blanket. (Picture book. 4-7)

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January 1, 2018
Clarissa can't sleep so she begins counting sheep...then alpacas (by twos), llamas (by fives), and yaks (by tens). Soon Clarissa's bedroom overflows with woolly animals; she unwinds their wool, subtracting them as she goes and ending up with a huge ball of yarn--perfect for knitting a cozy afghan. Although the cheerful, pattern-filled illustrations have appeal, the text introduces an ambitious number of concepts.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)