The Snow Lambs

When his sheepdog Bess goes missing one snowy night, Sam imagines all the the terrible things that might have happened to her, his fears running parallel to his own evening activities. As he takes his bath, he thinks of how dirty Bess will be, when she gets home; as he listens to his bedtime story - a tale of monsters! - he hopes Bess isn't as frightened as he is; and when there is a power outage, plunging him into darkness, he wonders how Bess will find her way home, in the dark. When Bess finally does arrive, it transpires - contrary to Sam's father's expectations - that she had been doing something very important, in guiding their prize ewe home...

I really enjoy Debi Gliori's colorful artwork - her No Matter What is, in addition to show more being one of my favorite "reassurance tales," a visual delight - so when a few of my online friends reviewed The Snow Lambs favorably, I added it to my to-be-read shelf. A little more than a year later, after our first snowfall this season, I've finally gotten around to it, and I'm glad I did. As expected, the artwork was charming, with a very effective visual comparison offered, on each page, between Sam and Bessie's activities, in that moment. The story itself didn't "wow" me - and the father's rather stern attitude about Bess was a little off-putting - but it was engaging enough to please. Definitely one that Debi Gliori fans will want to take a look at! show less

Young Sam helps his Dad get the sheep in ahead of a snowstorm. Is there one missing? And where is Bess, the sheepdog? The story then takes a split-page presentation as we see Sam readying for bed, worried about Bess; and we see Bess and find out what was so important that it kept her out in a storm. A warm happy ending. My preschooler was delighted with this book. The end papers contain maps of Sam's farm before and after the storm, which are fun to look at all on their own.

Snow Lambs is a great book that tells a story of a sheep ranching family that brings in their sheep before a big winter storm. The main characters of the story are a young boy and his sheep herding dog Bess. The boy and his father finish bringing in the sheep before the blizzard starts. The boy notices his dog Bess has gone missing, but the boy must go in before the storm. The boy finishes his nightly routine worried about Bess the whole time. The boy finally hears something outside in the storm and finds Bess with a Ewe about to give birth that was left out in the blizzard. Two baby lambs are born safe and sound inside because of the wonderful sheep herding dog Bess.

I really loved this book. I had a herding dog when I was small and it show more really showed the wonderful personalities that they have. I loved the illustrations in the book which showed sidebars of what Bess was doing as the boy finished his nightly routines.

An extension idea for this book could be to let the children draw or make up their own stories about their pets and what special abilities they have. show less

This is a good book that tells us about a sheep ranching family that brings in their sheep before a big winter storm. The boy and his father finish bringing in the sheep before the blizzard hits. The boy notices his dog has gone missing, but the boy must get in before the storm. The boy worries all night and come to find out the dog was protecting a sheep so she could have a baby sheep.

It's a snowy, blowy night and a little boy called Sam can't sleep - he's worrying about his sheepdog Bess. Bess helped to herd in the sheep this evening, and then she disappeared, and now there's a big storm approaching - oh, Bess, where can you be?

This book is a good example of contemporary fiction because it depicts modern-day events on a farm that are make-believe, yet could happen.

Genre: Realistic Fiction