One Smart Sheep

by Gary D. Schmidt

It takes one smart sheep to escape from a piano movers’ van and find his way home.

Wilson is a curious sheep, and after he foolishly climbs into the back of a piano movers' truck, he ends up alone in the big city, far from the farm. But Wilson is also one smart sheep, and soon enough he's finding his way home to his worried owner by recognizing the sounds that he heard while he was trapped in the truck—a jackhammer, a calliope, a hotdog man. And could that be the excited barking of his friend Tippy, the border collie?

Genres: Chapter Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Juvenile, Fiction, Picture Books

1 pages, Audio CD

First published October 26, 2021

About the author

Gary D. Schmidt is an American children's writer of nonfiction books and young adult novels, including two Newbery Honor books. He lives on a farm in Alto, Michigan,with his wife and six children, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, feeds the wild cats that drop by and wishes that sometimes the sea breeze came that far inland. He is a Professor of English at Calvin College.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle and sweet read about a smart sheep and a mini adventure. Complete with loving owner and loyal dog and curmudgeonly neighbor. Would be a good read for a 3rd or 4th grader independently but excellent for a read aloud with a younger audience.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looked like a darling book that my students would relate to, and I love The Wednesday Wars, so I ordered it for the library. It is short and simple, with somewhat wry humor and nice full-color illustrations. It reminds me a lot of the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo, which are also darling. Super fun book for kids who are ready to move from picture books to longer novels (although picture books are always awesome no matter your age) :)

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, short read aloud written by one of my favorite authors Gary D. Schmid and his wife Elizabeth Stickney (pen name). We’ve read their other short chapter book “A Long Road on a Short Day” a couple of times and appreciate the writing and the sentiment. There’s something about their writing that I like to read it aloud.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this show up on a feed and since I'd read (and liked) several Schmidt books, I thought I'd read this. It is a short story about a sheep that gets lost in town and is smart enough to figure out how to get home.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Schmidt once again shows that his talent extends far beyond middle grade books! One Smart Sheep is a perfect choice for newly independent readers, primary class readalouds or shared family reads.

Short sentences with simple vocabulary are wonderfully chosen to tell the story of Wilson, a most unusual sheep, who finds his way out of the pen and mistakenly into a piano delivery van. Arriving in the city, Wilson tries to find his way home while his owner and her friend frantically search for him. Sweetly told, this whimsical story contains lots of humor, some of it that kids may miss but adult readers will appreciate.

A wonderful highlight of the book are the lovely watercolor illustrations by Jane Manning that enhance the story and delight the eye.

Co-authoring the book is Elizabeth Stickney - the pen name for Gary's late wife Ann.

[Union County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of 27 sheep on Atwood Hill, Wilson is considered by Abigail, his owner, to be "the friendliest, wooliest, smartest sheep." A comedy of errors begins when Wilson escapes through the unlatched gate and climbs into a delivery van. By the time Abigail returns to the farm with Tippy, the border collie, Wilson is well and truly lost. Abigail, Tippy, and the neighbor Jeremiah begin the search. Not to worry, Wilson is indeed the "smartest sheep" and is finding his way home on his own.

A humorous transitional chapter book, the book has lots of white space, large type, and wonderful color illustrations. Although perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders, it would also suit a 4th or 5th grader for whom reading is more problematic. The sophisticated humor will appeal to a wide age range.

- Reviewed by Shelley F.

[Shelley Fearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of 27 sheep on Atwood Hill, Wilson is considered by Abigail, his owner, to be "the friendliest, wooliest, smartest sheep". A comedy of errors begins when Wilson escapes through the unlatched gate and climbs into a delivery van. By the time Abigail returns to the farm with Tippy, the border collie, Wilson is well and truly lost. Abigail, Tippy, and the neighbor Jeremiah begin the search. Not to worry, Wilson is indeed the "smartest sheep" and is finding his way home on his own.

A humorous transitional chapter book, the book has lots of white space, large type, and wonderful color illustrations. Although perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders, it would also suit a 4th or 5th grader for whom reading is more problematic. The sophisticated humor will appeal to a wide age range.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun little book put me in mind of a mash-up between Monty Python's flying sheep sketch, "Babe the Gallant Pig" by Dick King-Smith, and "Bears" by Paul Stickland.
Wilson is a very clever, very friendly, and very woolly sheep, who has an unexpected adventure when all he really wanted was to go sit by the warm woodstove in the little red house. Wilson uses his wits - well, specifically his hearing - to get himself out of the trouble he finds himself in, and all ends happily.
This is a lovely early chapter book, and I hope it's not the last book about Wilson, Tippy, Abigail and Jeremiah.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson is a sheep who observes and thinks about the world around him. He has a strong connection with his owner and her dog and misses being with them while out with the other sheep. One day, the gate is left open and he has quite an adventure traveling to the city in a delivery truck and then figuring out how to find his way home again. Readers see Wilson's viewpoint, his owner, Abigail's viewpoint and the border collie's viewpoint as the story progresses.
Simple to follow text for early chapter readers.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story of a sheep named Wilson that jumps into a truck and goes on an adventure in town. It'd be a great story for your burgeoning reader to read aloud with you. While it is broken into chapters of three pages with a picture per chapter, there are some harder words but a lot of words are repeated. It also doesn't have the childish feel that some of my sons got frustrated with while learning to read.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was like a lot of other books for kids I’ve read. It starts off compelling and by the end it just kind of fizzles. At least for me🙃. This might be what reading kid starts chapter books is like. I also thought the editing was poor. Jeremiah Jefferson was called Jeremiah Johnson at least twice. And why did the orbit insist on using last names every time? It was a little much. But, my kids loved Wilson, so that’s something! And tippy too!

[Alivia Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will always hold a special place in my heart because this is the first chapter book I read to my son James. James is 2.5, and he loved it! Children are so capable of more than we can imagine, and James was so capable of understanding the story of Wilson getting lost and coming back home to his friends Tippy and Abigail. So sweet and special! Thanks Read Aloud Revival for the recommendation!

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilson (the sheep) just wants to be in the house with his friend Tippy (the sheepdog) and Abigail (the owner). Some confusion happens and Wilson ends up on a delivery truck heading back to town. The most comfy, charming read. I can't wait to read it with my 3rd grader under soft blankets in front of the fireplace.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Wilson, a smart sheep, mistakenly boards a truck and is transported from the farm to a city, he tries to find his way home. Meanwhile, his owner and her friend embark on a frantic search for Wilson. This is a wonderful transitional chapter book with beguiling human and animal characters.
Also recommended as a sweet read aloud story for teachers or parents.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows the adventures of Wilson, a sheep who gets stuck in the back of a moving truck and ends up in the middle of town. How will he get home?

This book was sweet but not overly exciting. I read it aloud to my 4-year-old and she enjoyed it. It's the perfect length for stretching out over a couple of days.

[Jenny Leiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
We read this is in two sittings, so it’s a very quick read. It was fine. There is a sheep whose owner thinks he is the smartest sheep there is, but he gets lost and needs to find his way back home. There wasn’t much to the story, but it was cute and fine. My son liked it enough to ask me to keep reading until we were done, but I don’t see a need to revisit it again in the future.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet with a pinch of the curmudgeon in Alice, the owner of Wilson, the 'one smart sheep'. Perfect for newly independent readers or as a little bit longer family read-aloud, where gentle, old-fashioned fun is appreciated.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The saga of Wilson, a curious and smart sheep who mistakenly climbs into a delivery truck, and gets taken to the city, but using his smarts finds his way back home much to the surprise of his owner, and the handy man who considered him just a dumb sheep.

[Morgan Garratt]

Sheep are Smart! I know this!
Wilson is Wolliest
Smartest
Friendlist
Sheep
-who may think he's a Border Collie- with ears up!
This is a lovely short chapter- book about problem solving and sheep!
~80 pages will illustrations about every 3-4 pages.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle and fun, short chapters and repeated vocabulary with a few challenges for the emerging reader, great characters human and animal, and a story full of adventure and love. That's a lot for one little book to be. But of course, Schmidt pulls it off. The bright watercolor full-page illustrations by Jane Manning add to the fun. Baa!

[Mary Grace Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story!! My preschoolers and I really enjoyed listening to the audio book. Although it is short, there are lots of great lessons and discussions to have from the story and the few characters.

[Melanie Wissel · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I ordered this book, I didn’t realize it was children’s literature. It’s okay but nothing special. I chose it because I really like Gary Schmidt’s work.

There’s not much plot so I won’t give it away.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read-aloud to second or third graders who love animals. Short chapters are perfect for readers to beg for "one more!" Click below for full review.

https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...

[Sophie Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s cute but slow-paced. While clearly intended for beginning readers, I don’t think they would find it particularly engaging. The word choice doesn’t seem especially accessible for early readers, which limits its effectiveness.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Too cute!

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute and I think it would be fun for young children. There didn’t seem to really be a message or a deep meaning to the story, but Wilson and Tippy were cute animals.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This slow, drawn out type of story is not my favorite.