Counting Ovejas

Ever had problems falling asleep, with every nighttime sound resounding like thunder? The child in "Counting Ovejas," has. "Counting OVejas," or counting sheep, is an accurate title for this book, as it combines both English and Spanish to tell the story of a little child who can't get to bed. The book follows the child as he or she counts different colored sheep that come through his window, and then are sent on their way. As the number of sheep increases, the methods by which the child has to get them out of his room get more and more intense, with him acquiring wings to spirit out the last ten yellow sheep. Then, the child is able to sleep.

The book has simple and repetitive language, with each page reciting the number of sheep in show more English and Spanish, and then saying goodbye to those sheep. The art definitely changes though, in a clear case where the art and text are well-matched. In each picture, we see the child using different methods to get rid of the many sheep going through is room, but these are only see in the pictures, not the words. The art is a loose and flowing style in acrylic and pencil, and rendered in vibrant colors with a blue tone to them, to show sleep and nighttime. This book would be an excellent edition to any library with a number of young students that speak Spanish and English, or good for anyone trying to teach Spanish or English to a young child. Additionally, since the child in the story is left genderless, both boys and girls could connect to him. show less

Counting Ovejas is a very adorable bilingual counting book. Not only is this the perfect bedtime story, but it will also help the reader learn to count up to ten in two different languages. In the classroom, this would be a great book to include ELA students and help English speaking students connect with any ELA students in their classroom. It could even be used as an introduction to secondary level Spanish classes.

The illustrations are wonderful and probably my favorite from David Diaz so far. Those are some of the cutest sheep I've ever seen.

A wonderful bilingual counting book. This story is about a young boy who counts different color sheep to go to sleep. Each line is given in both English and Spanish I would use this story in my classroom to work on colors, numbers, and Spanish. A great book for multiple lessons!

Counting Ovejas by Saraha Weeks is a picture book that teaches young children both their numbers (1-10) in both English and Spanish and their primary colors. The text is written first in Spanish and then in English. The Spanish pronunciation is provided under the text so that an English speaking reader may properly pronounce the Spanish words. The main character is dark skinned and bilingual since the text is written in both languages. The illustrations and font size are large for young readers to see and identify. Unlike traditional custom the main character does not lay in bed counting sheep, but rather finds creative ways to move all of the sheep out of his bedroom so that he may fall asleep. For example, he transports them in a red show more wagon, carries them out the window, and lifts them up with on a large net. In the end the main character is able to fall to go sleep. Since the topic of the book is academic, I would have rather had the main character teaching numbers and colors during an early day activity rather than towards the end of the day.
Ages 2-6 show less

This is more than just a book to teach kids their numbers and colors in Spanish. The fabulous illustrations show much more than is going on in the text, and children will want to talk about what the boy is doing.A great stroytime read.

Counting Ovejas is a classic story about counting sheep to help a child fall asleep. This book includes the number and color of the sheep in English and Spanish. It is a great introductory book for a student learning a new language. The illustrations are vibrant and keep the readers attention. This book could be used for models of writing because it contains color and number words. It is a great tool for a person learning these words for the first time.

Counting Ovejas (2006), written by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Caldecott and Pura Belpré Medalist David Diaz, is a delightful bilingual book about a little boy who counts sheep as he tries to fall asleep. Children will love the different colors of the sheep, and will enjoy reading about colors and numbers in both English and Spanish (with a pronunciation guide for the Spanish words).

I would use this in my classroom to reinforce colors and numbers in Spanish and English. Grades Pre K-2.