School Library Journal (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 2 Sheep is so happy! What could be causing this unusually cheerful mood? His friends really want to know and are eager to guess. Sheep tells them it starts with the letter "f." Donkey ponders this for a few seconds and thinks fish is the secret reason. Dog seems to think a fan would make Sheep feel really happy. After giving it a lot of thought, Duck is certain that turnips make Sheep happy. Turnips?! It doesn't even start with the letter "f"! How will they ever find out what makes their friend so happy? The Giggle Gang is back with another delightful story for budding readers. This is a fun and easy book to read. The sentences are short and the text is repetitive. The size of the text is large with special words and letters in bold fonts or in bright colors to emphasize their importance. The characters are full of expressive emotions. From happy to aggravated, children will be able to recognize how the characters are feeling. VERDICT Even young readers who are not familiar with Thomas's earlier books and characters will find this story entertaining. A great step toward independent reading that children will want to read again and again. Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

ALA Booklist (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

The "Giggle Gang" offers newly emergent readers another round of hilarity as Sheep's riddle, "Can you guess what makes me happy?" (Sheep even offers a hint: "It starts with the letter F."), prompts unlikely conjectures from Donkey, Dog, and Duck. Each of their answers, which are respectively "Fish," "Fans," and (wait for it) "Turnips," prompts a general round of comically stupefied expressions in the elementally simple pictures, along with a patterned response built around the phrase "Don't be silly . . . ." and featuring lots of exclamation points. When Sheep at last reveals the solution (which is, of course, in the title), the other animals express similar sentiments . . . and then want to know what else makes Sheep happy as a way to promote their original guesses. Sheep carries the premise in a new direction: "My friends make me CRAZY!" A droll entry in a new series, with art, narrative, and level of humor all nicely attuned to their intended audience.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

-Yay! Look who-s coming! My friends!- cheers Sheep on the title page of this high-energy addition to Thomas-s Giggle Gang series. After Donkey, Bear, and Duck show up, Sheep drops a question on them: -Can you guess what makes me happy?- Readers will probably infer the answer from the book-s title, but the other animals