Sheepwrecked

by Ashley Belote

Set sail on a hilarious romp on the high seas with a group of pirate sheep and their big emotions! Join them as they bumble their way to a lost island and find the best treasure of all -- friendsheep !

Baa-hoy! Captain Hoof and his crew of sheep pirates are headed home with their treasure. Then -- SMASH! CRASH! BAM! -- the flock has been SHEEPWRECKED. They're cursed! They're lost forever! They'll never make it home! Until. . . a long-lost pirate helps the ragtag flock calm their nerves and see that things aren't all that bad.

All's wool that ends wool in this hilariously absurd, adventurous picture book from the creator of Witch & Wombat .

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Friendship, Adventure

40 pages, Hardcover

Published July 9, 2024

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book, and I am certainly glad that I did. It really made me laugh and that was truly needed. I adored the illustrations as they really brought the story to life.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

From stem to stern, this piratical tale featuring sheep as the unlikely shipwrecked pirates will have readers and listeners chortling at all the puns. Even the illustrations, created with Procreate, include references admonishing readers to "BAAWARE" and a volleyball labeled "WOOLSON," and the text continues the sheepish trend with remarks and questions such as "Did someone pull the wool over me eyes?" The plot concerns the crew having made off with a treasure that might be cursed, but none of that will matter as humor dominates these hijinks on the high seas, making this picture book a solid read aloud choice, especially if performed with just the right sheepish demeanor. BAA-HOY! indeed!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever picture book by Ashley Belote that follows a shipful of sheep who get shipwreck perhaps by hanging on to cursed treasure. The book follows the sheep as they try to find a way back home. They accidently encountered the feared Wooly Jones who takes back the cursed treasure and actually leads the ship off the island, Belote has used a lot of talking bubbles embedded in the book. She has fun with words using a number of sheep related puns in her chosen vocabulary. Young readers will enjoy this action-packed story, and the funny asides spread throughout the book.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages 3-7.
Considering giving it 5 stars for the puns...

A group of pirate sheep are sailing the seas and find treasure in the form of Golden Sheers. But they must be returned to their rightful owner and a storm just happens to cast them onto the island of Wooly Jones. Fearing for their lives, in the end all Jones wants is a good sheer, and then he's a jolly pirate again.

The illustrations are fantastic, with each sheep being given speech bubbles and personality. The puns - putting in 'wool' and 'baa', etc in every possible place - are what makes this book shine.

[Samantha Cleaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheep pirates shipwrecked on an island need to return the shears to Wooly Jones! I’m a fan of Ashley Belote and her silly humor and delightful illustration that makes kids and grown ups laugh (she also wrote Frankenslime and The Me Tree, which have the same fun humor), and this story is classic Belote. My kids loved the silly sheep, especially as they became more and more desperate on the island. A must read!

[Becky Scharnhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crew of adorable sheep, a shipload of puns, and a subtle nod to the movie Castaway are three of the things I loved most about this book, but readers will have no trouble coming up with their own list of things to love. Ashley Belote has created yet another humorous story that will be especially appealing to pun-loving children and adults, and her illustrations are as charming as ever! This would be the perfect book for a library story time or anytime!

[Natasha Tripplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belote created a charming book about friendship using sheep who are sailors. The puns were genius. Belote's smart word-choices force you to smile and even laugh out loud. The sheep sailors find treasure that may or may not be cursed. After being shipwrecked on an island, they eventually find their way to friendship while believing they are succumbing to their demise. The illustrations are brilliant. The character's personalities really come through with the artwork. This is are great book.

[Carol Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is full of fun and sheepy puns. Little kids and their parents (or librarians during story time) will enjoy the story and terrific illustrations. What happens when some pirate sheep sail off with the Golden Shears belonging to the scariest pirate of them all? Read this book to find out!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't pull the wool over my eyes- this is a silly and fun children's book! A fun read for story time. The images are soft and fluffy as only a pirate sheep can be and will be sure to delight your little reader.

[Leslie Barnard Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightfully punny book about a crew of pirate sheep includes laughs galore and ends on a joyful, friendship-affirming note. The illustrations bring the story to life, with layers of action and humor emerging from the art. Perfect for young readers who love humor, puns, and pirates!

[Kimberly Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheep, pirates, adventure, humor, and friendship—this book has it all! Readers will giggle along with Captain Hoof and his mateys on this pun-filled adventure chock-full of bright, engaging, laugh-out-loud illustrations!

[Miss Pippi the Librarian]

Love a piratey story, but this one wasn't for me. It's main text was speech bubbles from all the different sheep on the ship. This is a picture book and not a graphic novel.

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of puns and belly laughs, this charming book written and illustrated by the amazing Ashley Belote knocks it out of the park — or across the wild waves! Each spread is colorful and witty and full of joy! Highly recommend for the wee lads and lasses in your life! Aaaaargh!! 🏴‍☠️🐏 💫

[Kelly]

This book was very cute. I loved the sheep/baa wordplay/puns. The story was ok. It made sense. I am so glad it was really about sheep and not about a kid pretending to be a sheep or something like that. I was reading the book and was like, please don't ruin it. And she didn't!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of funny, kind of too punny to get through. I have a hard time imagining a group I would share this book with, but there will definitely be some kids who find it hilarious. Good pirate hijinks -- and a pretty funny nod to "Cast Away"

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book about sheep pirates and Wooly Jones! I thought it was a quick read with great illustrations. Got some laughs from the sheep themed puns as well. Could easily give each sheep a different voice and would make an excellent read aloud book.

[Mama Bearian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the sheep puns and baa-s worked into the dialogue, but I do wish this book had been more story and less speech bubbles. For a picture book, in general, children are not doing the reading but being read to, and it makes it a lot more difficult to read aloud. Loved the illustrations!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many baaaaaaaad puns. Very funny.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy the tongue in cheek humor of sheep who are sheep...I mean..ship wrecked and the golden shears stolen from Wooly Jones!

[Chrisanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punny.

[Annette Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This swashbuckling book is "sheer" fun with loads a cute sheep. Little pirates will love this hilarious story! The illustrations are adorable!

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

👧🏻reviews: this is a hilarious and cute children’s book perfect for early readers. The illustrations are cute and you find colorful pages throughout the book. Adorable story and graphics.

[Heidi Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story full of humorous puns!

[Michelle Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sure to be a laugh-out-loud hit! With hilarious illustrations and dynamic speech bubbles, this story of friendship is a fun read-aloud story that kids will love.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are modern picture books so bizarre? lol

[Erin Dealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a flock of sailing sheep get sheepwrecked on Fog Island? What WOOL happen? FanBAAAstic wordplay and SHEAR adventures. Great fun!

[Kelly Rice Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baa-hoy! Belote does it again with wordplay, silliness, mystery, and hilarious illustrations. Especially great for pirate, sheep, or adventure lovers. Don't miss this one mateys!

[Avani Dwivedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny story of friendship! A hilarious tale of pirate sheep at sea. Filled with puns and humor.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny sheep puns throughout, the illustrations are a bit digitally for me, but cute pirate theme, so still definitely a keeper.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Word play abounds!