Where is the green sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

A beautifully presented gold edition of Mem Fox’s and Judy Horacek’s playful story heralds the twentieth anniversary of this book being in children’s hands. For those libraries where the ragged copies on the shelves have been loved to near exhaustion, or parents who recall their thrill at reading this book some years before and just about everyone else between, this new edition will be well received. 

Here is the blue sheep
And here is the red sheep
Here is the bath sheep
And here is the bed sheep
But where is the green sheep?

Each five lines shows four different sheep and the expanded stanza ends with the refrain ‘But where is the green sheep?' prompting children to read along with the reader. They will predict words that rhyme, interact with the sheep and follow the question of where this pesky green sheep has got to.

In each line can be found descriptive words within our children’s sight: up and down, red and blue, bed and bath, rain and sun. The rhythm of each line is mesmerising, and children will love hunting for the green sheep

Horacek’s lively illustrations are hilarious, showing all sorts of sheep on the spindliest of legs doing an array of things that will evoke lots of loud laughter, a predictable response from any audience engaged with this book. Who has ever seen a sheep juggling, or a sheep in bed, or a trio of sheep holding hands? Well just open this lovely book to laugh along with the creators of this story and try to find the green sheep. 

A happy, joyous book to tickle the funny bone of children and adults alike, as they read the wonderfully concise and precise words, teamed with bright engaging illustrations showing a range of dotty looking sheep doing the most of unexpected of activities.

Mem Fox reads her story here.

Themes: Sheep, Humour, Rhyme, Classic.

Fran Knight