Sheep Shop, Paperback Plus Imp Level 1.4: Houghton Mifflin Invitations to Literature

Sheep

by Nancy E. Shaw, Margot Apple (Illustrator)

The "lovable muttonheads" are off to the store in search of the perfect birthday gift in this latest in the sheep series of rhymed read-alouds.

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

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww... how nice of the shopkeeper not to get impatient, and to accept a trade.

Have any of you noticed if any of the individual sheep have individual personalities in any of these books? It sure would be fun if a sharply observant reader could find such!

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This quick rhyming story about five sheep who go to a shop to buy a birthday present is not without its charm. I didn't realize it was almost 30 years old when I picked it up. But the story works just fine for modern audiences. It shows problem-solving skills and demonstrates kindness.

Five sheep realize that there's a birthday coming up, so they head to the local store to buy a present. They end up playing with lots of different things before finally deciding on a purchase. But when it comes time to pay, they don't have quite enough money. Will the sheep be able to figure out a way to buy the perfect gift?

The rhymes are solid, if a little inconsistent (there's no set meter throughout the book, for example). The illustrations are cute, with anthropomorphized animals populating the sheep's world (the shopkeeper is a pig, for example). I don't really have any complaints about the look of the book.

Overall, this is a cute little book that will probably appeal to young children. It would be a nice, quick read at bedtime.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The silly sheep from Sheep in a Jeep are back, this time shopping for a birthday gift in a small country store. Naively bumbling, they make all the inconsiderate mistakes that we might expect of such a group: trying on clothing, playing with toys on the floor, selecting a gift that requires a ladder to reach, and when they finally get to the cash register, discovering they don't have enough to pay. But their dilemma is happily solved when they decide to clip their wool, "three bags full," to swap for the desired merchandise.

The story is well conceived, well written, and pleasantly illustrated; its rhythmic humor will appeal to both toddlers and early readers, and provides a young audience with an example of how not to act when in a shop. A great read-aloud.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheep in a Shop by Nancy E Shaw was one of three Shaw sheep books I used to read to my son when he was a toddler. I later read them to my daughter but both have grown up a bit and moved on in their reading tastes. We gave the Shaw books to a friend who has younger children.

While going through the culls, I realized I'd never reviewed it, even though I did the other two. So in a fit of nostalgia, I am writing a little review. That's the nice thing about running a personal blog, being able to give into one's whims.

The silly group of sheep want to buy a present. First they have to decide what to buy. They try all sorts of silly rhyming things. Eventually they find the right gift but after going through all their pockets, they don't have enough! What can the sheep do? Barter of course! Wool for a present!

Shaw's rhymes are a similar level of difficulty and silliness to Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks or Green Eggs and Ham. The words are all things a young child will understand but presented as enough of a tongue twister to make the adult reading the book mess up. A tongue tied adult is funny.

I'm going to miss reading these books. I hope they bring giggles to their newest owners.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheep in a Shop written by Nancy Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple, is a cute rhyming tale of a few sheep in a toy store buying a birthday gift for a fellow sheep. The sheep get into a bit of trouble by making a mess in the store but they are very responsible by cleaning it up. They then get into an even bigger conflict in which they must find a way to pay for all their gifts. They come up with a solution that helps everyone.
The cover and the illustrations are done well in color pencil shading. Every illustration flows seamlessly with the vocabulary and storyline. Apple uses soft and inviting colors and the images are large and simply detailed. Each line in the story rhymes with the next and nearly every sentence begins with "Sheep". The repetition of the word sheep never leaves the young audience forgetting who the story is about and the rhyming words are vocabulary building. My only issue with this book is the silliness of the rhyming words, "Sheep decide to by a beach ball. Sheep prefer an out-of-reach ball". The silly rhyme of beach and reach, as well as ball and ball are just to push along the story line.
I recommend this book for preschoolers or a quick read aloud for kindergarteners to demonstrate rhyming.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the favorite of the books I read to Alena today. She and I are always going shopping together, so we relate. I like the illustrations and how the sheep solve their problem of not having money. I would like to read more by this author.

[Shannon Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little to easy.

[Alexandra Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw is a narrative poem because it tells a story. It has characters, a plot and theme. The characters are sheep; the plot is about the go shopping for a birthday present. The theme is a birthday party. In the beginning of the story, the sheep go shopping for a birthday that is coming up. They find rackets, rockets, jackets, clocks, trains. Then they stumble and fumble to get all of the presents stacked and carry them home. They go to the sales clerk to check out, but they do not have enough money. The five sheep decide to clip their wool and use that as payment for the gifts. Then at the end, they hop home and have a birthday celebration.

The age range of this story is nursery through beginning of primary (1st grade). Children within this age range can use the pictures to understand the story and beginning readers can read the easy vocabulary. There are many sight words throughout the story.

There are some artistic and poetic elements within the story. The pictures are very colorful and detailed. There is rhyming- "A birthday's coming! Hip hooray! Five sheep shop for the big, big, day! Repetition- "Sheep find... Sheep find..." Alliteration- "buy a beach ball."Personification- The five sheep are going shopping, wearing clothes, and buying presents.

I would read this story because it is short and funny. It helps with rhyming and beginning readers reading simple sentences. Sheep in a Shop is a book within a series of books, like Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep on a Ship. I have these books and they are good as well.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book in the Sheep series of books by Nancy E. Shaw and Margot Apple. The rhythmic, rhyming narrative and colorful illustrations are sure to entertain young children. I like that the sheep had to earn the money to buy the present.

This book was a bit too 'babyish' for our girls and our youngest didn't like it, but surprisingly our oldest was game. We listened to the book narrated by George Capaccio on audio CD in the car while our oldest followed along with the book. She read the book faster than I could get the CD going, but still enjoyed listening to the story as it was read aloud, Overall, it's an entertaining book and we enjoyed listening to it together.

[Nell Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a book I probably would not choose to read to kids. It isn't bad but there are certainly better ones out there. It has good illustrations. Detailed enough to draw the reader's attention but simple enough that it could be understood. The words on each page run over the illustrations which I feel adds to the quality of the book. I feel this way about this book because you can see what it is that is going on right with the words. It is about a birthday that is coming up so the sheep go to buy presents and after causing a huge mess in the store, they find that they do not have enough money. They sacrifice the wool on their bodies and give it to the store owner in trade for these presents. It is a cute little story but like I said, it is kind of weird. This could be applied in teaching because teachers often teach of paying for what you want and also sacrifice. The sheep wanted to get a present so bad they did what they could do to pay for the gift.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connie's review: Very short, very rhyme-y. Good for children learning to sound things out, or learning to speak, because there are only a few short sentences per page. It's a very calming story, too, so it works well for naptime. Because it features a birthday at the end, it's also a good gift for a one or two year old child. Because it was printed in Britain some of the usages are odd to American ears, but nothing confusing - shop where we'd use store, that sort of thing. It's broadening to the young mind to hear different ways of speech.

Ana's review: I like Sheep in Shop a lot. My favorite part is the end because I love the cake and the birthday party. I like the whole book.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It rhymes and isn't clumsy, but it's also not fun to read and not a particularly engaging story. Honestly it reminds me of the Llama Llama books minus amusing plot and character interaction. My 6 year old claims to like it, though he only passively listened versus his usual talkative engagement during story time. I 9 year old recalls liking the book when he was little but could offer me no details about it from his memory. So other than a casual enjoyment, I don't think this book leaves children with any lasting impact. I would prefer not to read this book again, but I don't dislike it enough to try to convince my son to sell it either.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Shaw has crafted some lovable stories of sheep who live life to the wooliest! And it's all in fun! This book has sheepies doing shopping! What, you never knew? That sheep love to shop for the best BAA-gains!!!! And the sheepies are hardcore when they mess with boxes and try on the outfits! Then the sheepies find themselves short on cash, so they trade in, what else, three bags full as their in trade allowance! Which is why sheepies loves shopping at WOOLMART! LOL! Ms Shaw has shown that Shaun the Sheep has been shorn of his crown as King of sheepies literature! Shaw's Sheepies rule the wool!!!!
Four stars
Sheep till ya drop!!!

[Michelle]

Literary Device: Alliteration. Five sheep shop for a birthday present and then realize that they don’t have any money to pay for their items. Author uses alliteration and rhyming to create a fun read-aloud.

Shaw's sheep stories are simply silly and loads of FUN! Kids love them!! I just read "Sheep in a Jeep" to a pre-K class yesterday and they were completely enthralled with both the text and the pictures.

An added bonus with "Sheep in a Shop" is the discussion one can have about trading and bartering for what you want.

[Feralucce Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a sheep's birthday. His siblings and parents go to the shop to get a birthday present. When they make their selections, the family finds that they don't have enough money for the presents. While the author was clearly going for a charming story that taught the basics of economics as well as supply and demand, this book can be problematic for those from a lower income home. A fellow reader was near tears when reading this book, remembering the embarrassment associated with the events from the book. I advise caution.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book models excellent giving behavior. The sheep tear the shop apart (because these sheep are hell bent for destruction), but when they are short money to buy a friend's birthday present their creative and generous solution is to shear (share) their wool to pay for the present. AND it's a blast to read -- lots of good word combinations. Margot Apple's pictures are lovely. Arthur loves the Sheep Books.

[briz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could also just be called "Me in a Shop" as I am clumsy like mutton. I enjoyed the acknowledgement that sheep produce wool in this one. I didn't spot any knitting sheep (Fair Isle, even!) as in the other Sheep Lit entries. I'll keep my giant, vacant, weirdly-shaped eyeballs peeled for them next time.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet book is filled with short but fun rhyming verses as five sheep head out to the store to buy a birthday present but then they realize, they haven't any money! What will the do? Don't forget to check out the other books in the series!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/7/16 Read with Naomi and Julia
6/29/25 Read with Charlotte and Finnian

[Marisa Severin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for early readers. There are lots of rhyming words and the images are amazing. This humorous little tale is ideal for children of all ages.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. I bet parents will hate reading all the tongue twisters though, lol!

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great use of repetition and rhyme. Themes will engage toddlers. The sheep go shopping for a birthday party and pay for it with their wool.

[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 3 out of 5]

For: animal fans; readers looking for a funny book with simple text and lots of excitement.

Possible red flags: not having enough money to buy presents.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of annoying they never specify which sheep's birthday it is.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those Sheep are at it again! Reeking havoc, but always solving their problems.

[Mackenzie Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So glad that sheep find pockets as exciting as I do!!

Love that sheep have piggy banks. (But how does that shake out in the animal kingdom??)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Sheep book. I had no idea these books have been around so long. Great staying power. Fun rhymes for a great read aloud.

[Mellanie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kindergarten friends and I enjoyed this book.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Gardner Library. I picked it because he enjoyed Sheep in a Jeep. Grandie read it to him this afternoon and then he was “reading” it and inventing a story with lots of fun shouting and building blocks. This evening, he was “reading” it to me and then sat on my lap while I read it. It was pretty cute.