Elspeth Lorraine

Book Reviews

May 24, 2024

"Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover" By Lucy Ruth Cummins and Illustrated by Pete Oswald

We’ve all been there. The Sleepover. Pardon! The Sheepover. You’re excited. You’re nervous! You overpack. Maybe you pack every stuffed animal, blanket, and picture book. (I think Lucy and Pete really channeled their inner child for this one.)

Let’s start with the cover. Look, I didn’t know my greatest wish was to open my front door and see a small sheep rolling in for a sheepover, but here we are. Consider it written in my dream journal. 

Sleepy Sheepy is primed, ready and excited to spend the night with his grandsheep. But when Mom, Dad and the sheep twins drop him off, the feelings change. He is nervous. He is upset. What is wrong with him? Why are the blankets feeling extra itchy? Why is “his tummy twisty and … his eyes misty.” Uh oh. Sleepy Sheepy CANNOT SLEEP. Luckily his Grandsheep are seasoned sheepover professionals and know what to do. Bake cookies, have a dance party, and read “Goodnight Mooo’n” (with a cow on the cover instead of a bunny). Before you know it, Sleepy Sheepy finally falls asleep. 

Bits and Pieces: Sleepy Sheepy packs similarly to me. Poorly. This guy had a spatula, a map, a cowboy hat, and no jammies. It was embarrassing. Just like anytime I pack. (I brought a cat toy all the way to Scotland in an extremely small carry on only bag. Technically my cat Clark packed it, but the haphazard way I packed means I overlooked it.) Lucy wrote one of my favorite books, “Vampenguin" and she has a wonderful touch for humor. Pete is apparently a fantastic sheep illustrator and wrote one of my other favorite books, “The Bad Seed”. You should read both books. This is also the sequel to Sleepy Sheepy and I like both, but I like this one a bit better.

Not Sure About: I don’t know the art medium that was used because the book didn’t say which drives me nuts. 

Favorite Part(s): 

  • When Grandpa Sheep showed a very bored Sleepy Sheepy his potato collection. 
  • Daddy Sheep’s fedora. 
  • Granny Sheep’s hand knitted bunny suit she forced Sleepy Sheep in. 

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