Where Will the Sleepy Sheep Sleep?

David Metzenthen

Jonathan Bentley

A & U Children’s 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761066160

Do you think the sleepy sheep will sleep on top of this wild and windy hill
Baah!
No-o-o, this windy hill is far too high and wild for a sleepy sheep to sleep on!
Do you think the sleepy sheep will sleep deep down in this steep and stony valley?
Baah!
No-o-o, this valley is far too deep, steep, and stony for a sleepy sheep to sleep in!

So where will the sleepy sheep end up sleeping?

Early literacy experts tell us that reading to our children in their mother language from their earliest days is critical if they are to learn the sounds, the patterns, the rhythms and the nuances of that language so they can speak it. Hearing language is the foundation for using it – speaking, reading and writing – and this is the perfect story to give to new parents to share with their little children as it twists and turns the tongue through alliteration and assonance, repetition and rhythm looking for a safe place for the sheep to sleep. 

As well as being ideal for that, it is also wonderful for those who are a little older because its question-and-answer format gives them the opportunity to consider why sleeping  “where the foxes hunt and the dingoes howl” or in a “dark and damp cave” may not be the best bed so they not only engage directly with the text but also have to think about cause and consequence.

As well as Metzenthen’s wonderful words that will challenge any tongue. Jonathan Bentley’s portrayal of the sheep is just perfect and no doubt will inspire all sorts of artwork.  

Definitely one to tell new parents about.