Sheep Don't Count Sheep

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2-Brown's mellifluous prose tells of a mother sheep trying to lull her little lamb to sleep. Awakened by a ladybug flying by, a horse jumping, and a grasshopper hopping, the lamb asks his mother how he can fall asleep with all these distractions. Mother sheep advises him to, "Count butterflies fluttering past your closed eyes till you fall asleep,- little sleepy sheep." The stylized illustrations rendered in watercolor and colored pencil are large and appealing. Green, purple, and orange hues dominate the landscape. The story opens and closes with a melodious lullaby composed especially for Brown's lyrics. The musical score is printed on the last page. Use this one along with Mem Fox's Time for Bed (Harcourt, 1993) and Brown's Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins, 1947) for a perfect pajama storytime.