Year of the Sheep, or Ram

Happy Year of the Sheep! (or goat...)

Happy Lunar New Year to you all... it's a few weeks into 2015 now, so if you need a reset, take this New Year as a start-over, and begin all your plans and resolutions anew! 

The Year of the Sheep begins today. What is that all about? There's some hope for us, apparently. 

"Sheep is the symbol of the Arts. It relates to passive and nurturing times. It will help the healing process with regard to past events caused by individuals who have little respect for the human race or life itself. It will be a year of banding together in faith and in belief that good will prevail and win out over the forces that refuse to comply to a peaceful way of life. For those who trust in goodness, happiness and success will follow."

Here are a few sheepish books to read this year!

1. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

This philosophical mystery is a tale for adults to enjoy. With acerbic rams and both clever and dim-witted sheep in the herd, there is plenty to entertain you as these sheep try to determine who was responsible for the death of their beloved shepherd.

2. Blue Mountain by Martine Leavitt

This middle-grade novel relates the adventures of Tuk, a bighorn sheep, and his herd. When their winter feeding grounds are paved over, it falls to Tuk, the strongest of his herd, to lead them to the fabled meadows of Blue Mountain where the grass is thick and plentiful. Adventure and environmental concerns mesh to make up a very readable story.

3. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

One of Murakami's early novels, this one uses the search for a mythical mutant sheep with a star on its back as a metaphor for the larger search for meaning in life. Our protagonist is inadvertently involved in the search for a sheep that appears in a photo on a postcard, one that a mad Sheep Professor has been searching for for years -- it's his Holy Grail, or should we say his Golden Fleece?

4. Babe: the gallant pig  by Dick King-Smith

Babe thinks he's a sheepdog, and becomes even better at herding than the farm dogs...and is entered into the sheepdog trials. King-Smith's sheep are very English, with great intelligence and a wee bit of snarkiness ;)

5.  Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, illus. by Judy Horacek

And now to finish up...a classic picture book that celebrates sheep of all colours, involved in activities of all kinds! This is a wonderful read-aloud, great for encouraging toddler participation in the story. Also, there are many story stretching activities you can find online if you want to make this fun book the centre piece of a storytime. Such as...