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Sheep |  | Author: Valerie Hobbs
Publisher: Square Fish
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.56
as of 11/22/2009 04:57 MST details
You Save: $3.43 (49%)
New (23) Used (9) from $3.56
Seller: thermite-media
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 12405
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 144
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4
ISBN: 0312561164
EAN: 9780312561161
ASIN: 0312561164
Publication Date: April 27, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The sheep closed in around him like a big, woolly blanket. The puppy had never been so scared or so excited in his life. Soon he was racing, feinting, dodgingâlearning what it means to be one of the proud breed of Border collies, the finest sheepherders in the world. Then, almost overnight, his life is turned upside down. He finds himself in a series of strange places, with no sheep, his family gone. With nothing but the courage he was born with and a dream, he searches for the life he once knew, gathering names and adventures as he goes. For a short time, heâs called Blackie. To the Goat Man, heâs Shep. To Hollerin, heâs Spot. Thereâs one name that threatens to haunt him foreverâSparky, the name Billy the circus man calls him. But thereâs another name that he is given, one that finally makes him feel at home. . . .
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
 Excellent November 17, 2009
Byron Starr (Hemphill, TX USA)
Since I have started reading this book to my daughter (age 5) she has slept with the book by her side every night. This book is a perfect example of how to use an engaging plot with a challenging point of view (that of a dog) in order to increase the love of reading in children. Honestly, I'm a writer myself and I can think of no greater compliment than having written a book that makes the graduation of a child from the familiar world of illustrated children's books to chapter books so smooth that the child actually sleeps with the book.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone reading to their children at younger ages and any older children who are starting to read chapter books by themselves. (It's also a lot of fun for us oldsters)
 Full of pet peeves November 17, 2009
Colette T. Bezio (SEYMOUR, WI United States)
While it's always good to see another dog book on the shelves, especially one where the actual dog (rather than the child's emotional issues) is the center of the book, I found a lot to annoy and irritate me about this particular book.
It would be a shame if any child got an idea of dog training from "Sheep." Jack goes through most of his life completely untrained, but then is easily taught to 'play dead' simply by being shown how to do it. This is followed by a session where an evil circus owner trains him by hitting him with a whip until the dog GUESSES what he is supposed to do. And yet the circus actually has a trained dog act. What a lot of psychic dogs Evil Billy seems to have rounded up. On the other hand, the pooch seems to possess perfect human intelligence and comprehension of the English language down to knowing the name of the state he lives in, so Evil Circus Dude may be on to something. What, Jack never bothered to learn his street address or telephone number? What a short journey it could have been.
Most of the characters and situations are clichés and rehashes from other books and movies. The Goat Man was a singular and interesting exception, and deserved a better book to be in.
But by far the greatest pet peeve was the rampant and flagrant sexism of the book, which makes me surprised it was written by a woman. Allow me to list every female character in the entire book. There aren't many, almost every one can be slotted into a stereotype, and most are completely passive characters.
Ellie: Ellie loves Sheep Rancher Bob, Bob loves Ellie. She makes sure he remembers to wear his hat and gloves. That's all we know about her: Bob is the one the pups love and who goes out to herd the sheep and worry about the farm.
Jack's Mom: She tells Jack (and his brothers) that he is her darling boy. She does not, however, herd sheep. Apparently, Jack's father and Old Dex (male) are the sheepherders. Mom just stays at home with the puppies and takes long naps.
Jack's sister: We never even know she exists until they are separated by the pet shop truck.
Penelope: Spoiled brat girl who dresses Jack in baby clothes and tells him he'll be spanked if he wets himself.
Penelope's Mom--thinks this is cute.
Penelope's cat--walks by on the fence top. Does nothing else.
Trudy--Fell in love with the Goat Man, ran away from home to marry him, and died, her mission in life (and this book) accomplished.
A pretty spaniel--Jack sees one in the street, but her female owner pulls her away.
Tiffany--Jack's love-at-first-sight with the usual sweet and tender lack of personality of female love interest characters. His love for her keeps him from running away from the evil circus, where Evil Billy forces her to dance for the audience. Eventually he leaves and can't convince her to run away with him. We never get a full description, but originality kudos to the author for a least not making her a Poodle.
By now, frankly, I am just skimming, waiting to see if this pattern goes on, so the few remaining female character descriptions are not as fleshed out as they might be. The writer seems suddenly to have realized she needed some women in the book who actually mattered, so she added:
Miss Pinch: Nasty dough-faced orphanage leader who calls Jack a mutt and forces Luke to come to Adoption Week in hope of getting rid of him.
Raggedy Annie--The only positive female figure in the entire book, She collects old clothes for the poor, and convinces Jack to read by giving him The Call of the Wid, and is also good for handing out cookies when Luke sneaks away from the orphanage. She is fat, wears raggedy clothes, and is missing several teeth. Basically a Grandmother substitute.
Luke's Aunt--the one who dumped him on the orphanage.
The Pretty Lady--her and her bad-hair husband adopt Luke. Neither actually speaks a word.
My 10 year old daughter loves this book January 21, 2009
Big Walter (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
She likes that it is from the dog's point of view and that you get a good sense of what it is like to be a dog.
Awesome mother/daughter book January 22, 2008
Sophie (Atlanta, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My 5th grade daughter brought this book home from school and we both ended up reading it. . . and enjoying discussing it. We fell in love with the dog and had lots of fun chats, mostly having to do with speculating about what would have happened if such and such had happened differently.
One great thing about this book is the way that everything that happens to the dog along the way ends up being extremely significant in the end.
My daughter and I had a great discussion about how so many of the bad things that happened to the dog ended up being his salvation. Because without each of those bad events, the happy outcome would never have happened. And not only did Jack save himself, but he saved someone else, too. It's a good theme for her to remember when she encounters difficulty or disappointment. Those things may be the building blocks for something awesome in her future.
Great children's book! August 17, 2007
T. Babb (alabama)
I purchased this book by accident and fell in love with it's character Jack the Border Collie and his quest for the perfect home. A heart warming story where Jack runs away from the spoiled child who dresses him up in doll cloths, the ultimate humiliation for a sheep dog. His adventures include hooking up with the Goat Man. I recommend it highly....!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
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