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Sheep

Sheep Take a Hike

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Setting off on a rugged hiking adventure, a fun-loving flock of sheep soon finds itself lost, and the resourceful sheep must come up with an ingenious plan to escape their predicament.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 1994

8 people are currently reading
147 people want to read

About the author

Nancy E. Shaw

14 books30 followers

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5 stars
113 (24%)
4 stars
170 (37%)
3 stars
146 (32%)
2 stars
24 (5%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for LaDonna.
174 reviews2,456 followers
February 24, 2019
2.75 STARS...Rounding can be a good thing.

Kudos for the rhyming and the way the story unfolds. It will keep both new and young readers highly entertained. Some words and concepts may have to be explained. But, what better time to introduce a young reader to new vocabulary and concepts? (Margot Apple deserves a shout out for her illustrations).
Profile Image for Adam.
294 reviews
August 9, 2024
“Good luck the 📕 was good luck”



(read aloud by himself at 4yo, missed one word, ‘compass’)
Profile Image for Kate M. Colby.
Author 19 books76 followers
June 14, 2024
The librarian at the Ashland Public Library read this book during story time.

Jack stayed on the blanket, sometimes sitting next to me or on my lap, sometimes standing. He did some babbling and I'm not sure he really paid attention to any of the books, because he was so interested in the babies and having a snack. But he did occasionally look over to the librarian and tune into the story.

I honestly didn't absorb much of the story because I was watching and caring for him. So, five stars for helping create a nice memory with my kiddo.
1,139 reviews4 followers
August 2, 2021
A set of sheep friends go for a hike and get lost. How will they ever find there way back to the barn?
I love the way the author uses a great variety of words in her writing. There are certainly a few words here that kids will not have come across often (or at all), in a good way. The rhyme is good and so is the flow. The pictures are silly and nice to look at, with the softness of colored pencil.
Profile Image for Erin.
1,765 reviews17 followers
July 24, 2017
A family of sheep decide to go on a hike. They fill up their packs and take the trail. Soon, they find themselves straying from the path. They get lost of dirty and their snacks get ruined. Then they see their wool on some brambles. They follow the wool back to the path and make their way home in the rain.

Okay for preschool or toddler storytimes.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,166 reviews6 followers
August 6, 2024
My favorite sheep book is Sheep in a Jeep, and I don't think most of the rest are as good, but this is a reasonably good book to share with young kids. The sheep finding their way home by following the fleece caught on branches is a nice twist.
Profile Image for Ariel.
1,921 reviews41 followers
September 18, 2019
I was super excited to find these new adventures of Nancy Shaw's Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Jeep. Of all four books, this one held up best in terms of rhyming and plot. I just love these bungling baa-lambs!
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,710 reviews18 followers
November 4, 2022
Sheep go for a hike, lose the compass, and find their way back a bit like Hansel and Gretel. I love the illustration style from the Jeep title in the series so we checked this one out but it was meh overall.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,593 reviews
May 31, 2024
This funny story has expressive sheep going on a dreadful hike where lots of things go wrong, ending on a cozy night. It’s a good read aloud if you’re doing a story time about the great (and sometimes not so great) outdoors!
Profile Image for Christine Grant.
1,951 reviews10 followers
September 12, 2017
Camping Story Time. Sheep go on a hike in the countryside. They have adventures in the mud and with a moose. The story was okay, but I probably won't use it again.
Profile Image for Joy Keil.
607 reviews
October 24, 2017
I can't even count how many times we've read this book... I've enjoyed all of these related stories by Shaw - as has my daughter!
225 reviews
March 14, 2023
Short rhymes on each page tell about the various situations sheep encounter on their hiking adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cyndy.
1,821 reviews9 followers
December 17, 2025
The sheep take a hike and it is a messy hike. It may have been messy and then rainy, but they still seemed to have a good time. Read by Moments with Miranda on YouTube.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
13k reviews482 followers
January 9, 2019
One of the best of the series, as it has an actual exciting plot, even a sort of a mystery.
Profile Image for Robert Beveridge.
2,402 reviews200 followers
August 13, 2016
Nancy Shaw, Sheep Take a Hike (Houghton Mifflin, 1994)

The thing about Sheep in a Jeep, ultimately, that makes it work as well as it does, and it works very well indeed, is the language. It is basic, it is easily remembered by both adults and children alike, and it is very well-constructed and well-presented. There's nothing in Sheep in a Jeep that feels like Shaw was stretching in order to fit the parameters of either the story she was telling or the educational goals she had set for herself. As a result, the story is a resounding success, and all of the other great things about the book are kind of icing on the cake. Sheep Take a Hike is the exact opposite. The illustrations are just as wonderful, maybe even more so, and the story is fun, but the language at the core of it is not as well constructed, nor as well presented, and more than once it feels exactly like Shaw was stretching in order to twist where she wanted to go in order to fit it into the parameters—both those mentioned above and the parameters that she's set for herself in the first book (the two are very strongly similar rhythmically). As much as I hate to say it given that the original is one of the best children's books ever written, this is a noticeably inferior product.

All that having been said, it's still the same lovable band of sheep, and if you discount the language issues that will have readers stumbling in certain parts the first few times through (though one will adapt pretty quickly), there is still a good deal about this book to like, and I ran through most of it above. Here, the illustrations are the kicker, and they are, not surprisingly, wonderful. So I'm certainly not going to say “you don't want to read this one to your kid”, especially if you (and said kid) love the first one. But get it out of the library first to see whether it's going to stand up to the same repeated readings the initial book does. ** ½
1,140 reviews
July 13, 2011
Sheep Take a Hike by Nancy E. Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple is the fifth in the Sheep sagas. Sheep head out for a hike through the woods, but of course they stray off course. They end up in a mucky swamp, but a friendly moose drags them out. Fortunately they backtrack by following all the wool they left on bushes and branches. A rainstorm gives them a much needed bath as they retire to their shelter.

This story features a rhyming text, a large, bold font, and lots of repetition making it work well as a beginning reader. There is some hiking and outdoors vocabulary, such as gear, compass, underbrush, packs, thorns and prickers.

The bright-colored pencil illustrations are hillarious featuring our perky, bickering, confused heroes. The sheep exhibit an wide variety of expressions. An owl, the moose and a bear (with berry pails!) watch their antics.

For ages 2 to 6, beginning readers, rhyming, hiking, humor, animal and sheep themes, and fans of Nancy E. Shaw and Margot Apple.
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
7,960 reviews247 followers
August 26, 2018
Nancy E. Shaw thought up the Sheep series of books during a long car trip. Sheep Take a Hike is the fifth in the series and a current favorite of Harriet.

Sheep Take a Hike follows the sheep as they head out for a day in the woods. As with all their adventures, big and small, good intentions go awry. They soon find themselves lost and bedraggled. Can they use their wits to find their way home?

The book is told in rhymes that border on tongue twisters. They have the same simplicity and humor of the "I Can Read" series of books by Dr. Seuss. It's tempting to read the books quickly but watch out; you might end up tongue tied!

The Sheep books are illustrated by Margot Apple. She brings the sheep to life. It was her illustrations for Sheep in a Jeep (1986) that first caught my attention back in 2003.

The Sheep series includes:

* Sheep in a Jeep (1986)
* Sheep on a Ship (1989)
* Sheep in a Shop (1991)
* Sheep Out to Eat (1992)
* Sheep Take a Hike (1994)
* Sheep Trick or Treat (1987)
* Sheep Blast Off (2008)
Profile Image for Ina.
1,273 reviews15 followers
August 17, 2011
Nancy Shaw's sheep are such fun! This one didn't engage the children quite as well as her "Sheep in a Jeep" but the kids loved the illustrations and the rhyming text of this great hiking adventure where the sheep must deal with loss of a compass, getting lost and having to be rescued from the mud by a moose! I made up a song about taking a summer hike (Tune: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush") which we sang after this book.
38 reviews
August 28, 2016
Sheep Take a Hike id written by Nancy Show and illustrated by Margot
Apple. It is a rhyming book and very well illustrated. It is about sheep trip and their adventure. Very perfect source for language development for yang children. helps develop problem solving skills. easy understanding.
Easy to involve children to storytelling by asking questions about how to fix the problem.
Profile Image for Leah.
187 reviews6 followers
April 23, 2015
Again, I don't like this one as much as sheep in a shop, but still a good book. Great for little boys who love the outdoors and exploring. The sheep prepare and pack for their adventure, get into all sorts of mishaps, and problem solve to fin their way again. I do enjoy rhyming books, and the sheep books are always funny.
Profile Image for Karissa.
109 reviews
May 5, 2010
I decided to read this after reading Sheep in a Jeep and doing a science lesson around force and motion. I guess you could use this book to introduce the concept of maps in social studies, but it might be a stretch. The rhyming and alliteration make it a fun read though!
781 reviews11 followers
June 18, 2010
Yup, another sheep book.

They're all cute books, but there's not much to say about any individual one. They go out on a hike, everything rhymes, things go ALL WRONG, they find their way home anyway, and we have a rhyming happy ending. (Yay!) Good for early readers and toddlers alike.
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,276 reviews31 followers
September 24, 2023
Those five sheep are back, and this time they're out on a hike on a warm and clear day. So what could go wrong? Told in rhyme, the sheep lose their way on the trail, and their compass. It will take some doing to get their wits about them and back on the trail.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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