Sheep on a Ship

Sheep

by Nancy E. Shaw, Margot Apple (Illustrator)

The rhyming misadventures of a group of zany sheep on a pirate ship.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Pirates, Fiction, Storytime, Humor

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have as part of our home picture book library Sheep in a Jeep. It's a bed-time favorite, appearing at least a few times a month. Without even deliberately looking for them, these jumped out at me from the shelf when the boy and I were in the children's section last week.

The rhythm of the writing reminds me of what All Aboard the Dinotrain was trying for. Only these are much better. And apparently there are more!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book with rhyming words, tongue-twisters, and unique vocabulary.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. A pirate ship in a storm in the deep-ocean...

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheep might not make the best pirates, but they are cute pirates. Here's a simply worded tale for your tots. Enjoy the pictures!

Ages: 2 - 5

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[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad wordplay, but the book really has nothing to do with pirates other than the sheep are dressed in pirate costumes and the ship has a jolly roger. They don't do anything piratey. It could be any kind of ship. Also, during the storm, the ship doesn't seem to be sinking, just out of control. It makes little sense to chop off the mast and build a raft, which would be even more precarious in stormy seas.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever there's a storm, the sheep cover their heads, and when the thunder does it last boom, and the last drops has fell, and the dark clouds go away, and the white clouds come, and they're glad to know that their dock is 10 ft. away, and then they dock, and take their treasure off the boat. You never know where they're really hiding it, but it make sense because it IS treasure.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sought after for my grandchildren because it was on a list of books the use for preschool. I guess I am too old. If you like tongue twisters then this will be fun. This was released in 1989. I guess it has aged well if it is still being included in lists but it did not do much for me. I must admit I would hunt high and low for any title sought after by one of the littles.

[Hailey Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: poetry
Reading Level: lower elementary

Sheep on a ship is a poetry book. I️t tells the story of some sheep pirates and how they make it through their journey. The author uses words with similar sounds to make the story flow. This is smart especially when the audience is young readers.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I built a book recommender as a data science project. Based on an interest in The Brothers Karamazov, my recommender suggested Sheep in a Jeep. My bibliophile friend confirmed that this was a good match, and then suggested Sheep on a Ship to me.

I liked it.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not s bad story but kinda disturbing for some of my kids. Will the sheep die if the boat sinks? Was one ? I got from a slightly older child.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would work for storytime

[Rebecca Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious.

[Jordan Ledford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has farm animals in it. This book has a lot of rhyme and some alliteration. The illustrations are nice and simple.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite children's series but the best is still "Sheep in a Jeep".

The illustrations are so detailed and consistent while soft and cozy.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

For: animal lovers; readers looking for a silly and suspenseful book.

Possible red flags: characters in peril.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny rhyming story about sheep on a ship, similar to the Sheep in a Jeep story.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

A workmanlike, actually boring, entry into a fun series. I might give it three stars, but I despise the pirate theme; pirates are very bad guys. LFL find.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about some sheep who go for a ride on a jeep, with disastrous results. Very cute and the rhymes are great for young children.

[Julie Ringrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite picture book series. Always makes me smile.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

(read aloud by himself at 4yo, missed one word, ‘collide’)

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations. 2 year old liked this book too

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sheep are pirates in this book, which is cute. They all go to sleep at the same time, and a storm comes along. I wonder what will happen.

[Kathy Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have to read the same books over and over to your kids, the Sheep books are the best. Kids loved them, and I thought they were entertaining

[Nathaniel Mccombs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw is a funny yet serious book that follows six sheep on their voyage going to an unknown destination. Before their voyage the sheep didn’t check the forecast as a vicious storm appears. Before the ship is destroyed by the storm, the sheep try everything they can to save their ship. The Sheep build a raft and sail to their destination. The sheep throughout the book perform tasks that any shipmate would during times of worry and stress on the sea.
This is a great example of a pattern/rhyming book, and Shaw does a great job rhyming each sentence together into a cohesive story. The text also offers a thrilling plot that will keep young children on the edge of their seats wondering if the sheep will survive. The cover art is very basic but it doesn’t divulge what he sheep will encounter on their voyage. This is very interesting. I admire the illustrator Margrot Apple for incorporating this type of cover. Apple does a great job with the illustrations throughout the book. If there wasn’t any text this would be a great wordless picture book. Apples illustrations are very vivid and detailed from beginning to end. The colors used throughout the book are spectacular as well as the animations of the sheep and the sheep’s faces. The storm, the rain and the waves the storm produces are very expressive eloquent and theatrical. These illustrations would make the reader feel as if they are in the storm with the sheep. The illustrations definitely make the book appealing, although the text could have been better.
This is could be a good read aloud book on behalf of the illustrations and the thrilling plot. I know this book is a series but I don’t think it would captivate a child’s imagination enough to read the other books in the series. The text does teach children to improvise quickly when in troubling situations because of the sheep building a raft out of their ship. I wouldn’t recommend this book to any child older than 6 years old. As stated before this book is very dramatic and would only be effective as a read aloud or for that age of reader.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheep on a Ship by Nancy E. Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple chronicles the rhyming misadventures of the zany sheep on a pirate ship. Does anyone else have a sinking feeling that things will go downhill fast?

Napping as a storm comes in, sheep avoid a hungry shark and abandon ship. They manage to return to port on their raft, though sheep get soaked getting onto the dock. Incompetence is their specialty...

The text features a large font, short words, rhyming, and repetition, making it a good choice for beginning readers. This can be used for alliteration and phonics practice. Practice reading this a bit before reading it aloud.

The illustrations are hilarious, with very expressive faces on the sheep. The illustrations complement the silly text very well. A dolphin, shark, fish, and the seagull all appear.

For ages 3 to 6, phonics, alliteration, rhyming, pirates, sheep, sailing themes, and fans of Nancy E. Shaw and Margot Apple.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheep on a Ship is the second book in Nancy E. Shaw's sheep series. Both my children like pirates so this book is their favorite of the series.

In this book, the herd of sheep don pirate hats and take the high seas. They aren't any more competent with sailing as they are with driving and soon find themselves in trouble.

Sheep on a Ship isn't quite as tongue tying as as Sheep on a Jeep but it does have a few tricky moments involving words rhyming with ship. If you're going to read this book out loud to your children, I suggest practicing or read it very slowly the first couple of times to avoid unfortunate slips of the tongue.

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)

[Cindy Sa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a colorful picture book for readers to read. And there are less words inside this book. It means the readers can imagine many conversations from the picture books.
The sheep captain is very cute to stand on the sheep. Actually, at the first eyesight of the captain, I think there is a pig captain to lead the sheep. Aha. I know I look wrong, but the sheep looks very similar to the pigs.
This picture book is painted by colorful pencils. It looks very pretty and cute.
These cute sheep met a rainstorm. Fortunately, they are all survive. The process of their travel is full of ridiculous. Because there is no one look the map and when they met the rainstorm. they are so hurry up all the time.

[Audrey]

A very bright and happy picture book for children. Though there are very few words in the book the story is very clearly stated. When the captain stood on the sheep it was adorable. Children can imagine conversations between the characters leaving more for the imagination so the children can make it their own.

The illustrations are color pencil drawn and very cute. The story is based off of sheep who end up in a crazy adventure trying to survive an insane rainstorm. Of course they survive and are very happy but you just experience the journey with them. Younger children will appreciate the book and illustrations greatly and wish for the best of the brave little sheep.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the third book we used in our PIRATES & CROCODILES story time. We emphasized the consonant blend SH -- SHeep on a SHip by Nancy SHaw, inviting the children to repeat it with us after holding their finger to their lips and saying a drawn out "SHHHHHHH".

There were some pages which we dramatized, such as waving our arms as the "winds whip" and pretending to tear fabric as the "sails rip". We "chopped" with pretend axes as the mast was chopped to make a raft. Then we made a loud "SPLASH" by slapping our legs with our hands on the count of three.

[Marya · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINALLY! I found a children's book with an illustrated dolphin on one page (when it's all smooth sailing), and sharks on subsequent pages (when the storm sets in). They aren't wildly exaggerated, so it's great for explaining to my little one what the difference is between the two. They're small, but head shape, blowhole, and gills are still clearly visible. Oh, and the sea gull on almost every page is nice too.