The Great Sheep Shenanigans

February 6, 2012
A tough-guy sheep known as Rambo the Ram, a cotton-candy machine, and Red Riding Hood’s grandmother all play their parts in a rambunctious story from the team behind The Great Dog Bottom Swap, about a wolf’s attempts to procure sheep’s clothing. The ample humor in Bently’s mellifluous yet entertaining rhymes runs the gamut from highbrow (the wolf’s name is Lou Pine) to lowbrow (he winds up in a “big pile of poo”). The verse is often slyly witty, as when the wolf dreams of the lamb dishes that await him: “...chops and mint sauce? Or even lamb stew? Or burgers? Moussaka? Or lamb vindaloo?” Matsuoka’s illustrations supply plenty of comedy, too, from the boxing gloves that Rambo wears to the water gun that a neighbor (“the best shot in town”) uses to blast Lou when he tries to steal her fluffy gown for a disguise. Lou is thwarted again and again, and even after he forces Red Riding Hood’s grandmother to knit him a sweater, she finds a way to get the last laugh. Lou Pine’s ineptitude gives Wile E. Coyote a run for his money. Ages 4–9.

July 1, 2012
Lou Pine, "a wily old wolf," craves lamb for dinner. With Rambo the Ram standing in his way, Lou must plan a way to infiltrate the flock. He bullies Little Red's grandmother into knitting him a sheep costume, but he underestimates Granny's own trickery and is finally served his comeuppance. Inviting and humorous collage-like illustrations accompany the rollicking rhyme.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-A clever-and hungry-wolf tries to insinuate himself among a fine, fat flock of sheep. Lou Pine, the wily wolf, thinks that it should be easy to sneak up and help himself to dinner. But no, Rambo the Ram, complete with snorting nostrils and boxing gloves, is there to defend his kin. Lou next tries a sheep disguise. There's Ma Watson's woolly nightgown...and a cotton candy coating...and even a sweater from Granny, but all fail to help him blend in with the flock. Bently's rollicking rhythms rarely (but occasionally) falter. His story is vigorous and unabashed. (At one point, Lou fantasizes about what he'll do when he catches some sheep: "Now shall I have cutlets? Or roast leg of lamb?/Or chops and mint sauce? Or even lamb stew?/Or burgers? Moussaka? Or lamb vindaloo?") Some of the words, concepts, and humor will soar over the heads of young listeners. Matsuoka pulls out all the stops here with mixed-media images that zing with color, texture (you can almost feel the fluff on the sheep), and hilarious exaggeration. While not for the very young, the faint of heart, or the aspiring vegetarian, The Great Sheep Shenanigans makes great reading for energetic youngsters.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades K-2 No matter how brilliant those hungry wolves get, they never get to sink their teeth into their prey, do they? Lou Pine (get it?) is the latest iteration of a scheming carnivore whose plans to make cutlets, chops, moussaka, and vindaloo out of a flock of lambs are stymied by the burly, boxing glovewearing Rambo the Ram. So Lou makes a number of rather ingenious attempts at giving himself a lamb makeover: white paint (too skunk-like), cotton candy (but it's pink!), and tree blossoms (including quite a few bees), until finally blackmailing Red Riding Hood's granny into knitting him a sweater. The stanzas employ a singsong rhyme that never wears out its welcome: The very next day Lou returned for a fitting / And had to admit Gran was dandy at knitting. / He chuckled, How smashingly dashing I am! / Tonight I'll be scarfing a tasty young lamb!' The rascally illustrations reduce things to humorous simplicities (lambs are but plump white circles), completing this very appealing twist on a familiar tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2012
A self-deluded wolf is determined to catch a lamb for his supper. Lou Pine believes that he is wily and sly and much smarter than any sheep. When Rambo Ran blocks his initial foray into the pasture, insisting that he scram and vamoose, Lou decides that a "sheepy disguise" is the way to success. He tries stealing Ma Watson's fluffy white gown, getting painted white by a road-marking machine, covering himself in cotton candy and threatening Red Riding Hood's granny into knitting him a sheep-like sweater. But all his attempts meet with dismal failure and a rather disgusting final reckoning. Bently employs rollicking rhyme at a breakneck pace to tell the goofy tale. The lines are of varying lengths and don't always scan neatly, but the rhymes are mostly breezy and accessible to young readers. Word selection is quite slangy and might not sit well with adults, especially in Lou's last adventure, in which he "land[s] kersplat in a big pile of poo!" Of course, little ones will delight in the grossness. The text weaves in and around Matsuoka's textured, stylized cartoon illustrations, adding greatly to the hilarity. But, strangely, Lou doesn't even remotely resemble a wolf and really looks like no recognizable animal. Feels like a TV cartoon with lots of silly action and no real point, but fun nonetheless. (Picture book. 4-9)

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