Wild and Wooly

This is a fun and touching take of "City Mouse/Country Mouse", by way of sheep. The very well-written story appeals to my 3 year olds, but also has enough dry humor to make me chuckle every time I read it - which is very, very often. The illustrations are fantastic, too! The story might be a bit long for the young pre-school set, though my kids easily sit through it; nonetheless, it would be a great buy for anyone with youngsters.

You know you've bought a winner when your son is sitting in the back of the car, imitating one of the characters: "I'm Picket, Hardy-arf-arf." Wild and Woolly has quickly become a family favorite. A story of two new friends who explore each other's homes and discover there's more than one way to be a sheep, it resists moralizing in favor of story, and provides three (if you count Picket the dog, which our family certainly does) fantastic role models for children learning to make and keep friends while staying true to themselves. Mary Jessie Parker's playful language treats adults to some good laughs, while maintaining a clean, resonant story-telling style reminiscent of Frog and Toad. Shannon McNeill's expressive illustrations ice the cake.

Sheep are not famous for their personalities... except for the two protagonists of Wild and Woolly, a completely charming new picture book by Mary Jessie Parker, beautifully illustrated by Shannon McNeill. Parker has adeptly created two lovable, funny sheep, as different from each other as .... well, as different as a domestic sheep and a bighorn ram could be. They are so different, in fact, that neither recognizes the other as a sheep when they first meet. This gentle and amusing tale is a lesson in accepting differences, and in learning that though we may be different on the outside we're not all that different on the inside. And it's a foreign language textbook, too, because the clever dialogue gives teacher, parent, or grandma the perfect opportunity to learn to speak fluent Baaaaa!

...would still be a sheep, wouldn't it? Or would it? Sheep they are but oh, the differences. Comparisons fascinate, educate and entertain. Parker's spare text, like a mother, favors neither and both. Together they make a whole with adventures of fun as they try to understand and appreciate the other. The charming illustrations add to the appeal of Wild and Woolly and we are loathe to choose between them. Like George and Martha, they go together. Hoping for more episodes of the two and only, Wild! and Woolly.