ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Amos is lying in bed and quietly counting sheep when loud thuds announce the arrival of two full-size sheep in his room. Aggrieved at being "dragged into a strange bedroom and told to parade yourself around," they suggest that the boy should call them by name, Felix and Walter, rather than One and Two. Next, they insist that Amos must build a fence for them to jump over and test it, which he does repeatedly until he's too tired to stay awake. The final scene shows the boy sleeping on the floor while 10 sheep party in his room. An unlikely tale? A dream? No matter. Children will find this imaginative story engaging from the moment these amusing, demanding, and (above all) talkative sheep take charge. The text includes plenty of dialogue, in which Amos manages to hold his own. The attractive mixed-media illustrations feature increasingly chaotic scenes, created with verve and balanced with structural elements and surprisingly restrained colors. From an Australian writer and illustrator, here's a lively, amusing picture book for bedtime reading.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Counting himself to sleep, young Amos has visions of grazing and leaping sheep--until a couple of loud "THUD"s jolt him awake. Two cranky sheep--counted to life in Amos's bedroom--take charge, but they have no end of demands. Amos exhausts himself trying to meet their needs; the last page finds ten sheep having a grand time while Amos sleeps on the floor. Mixed-media cartoon art in soft colors deftly articulates the shift from imagination to the reality.

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

Amos, a child with scribbly curls, smiles contentedly in bed as he counts sheep. But his peace doesn-t last long: -Suddenly, there was a loud THUD. And then another.- The sources of the intrusion are two sheep, Walter and Felix. The woolly visitors are irritated at being pulled out of important tasks: -Excuse me, but how would you feel if you were dragged into a strange bedroom and told to parade yourself around?- The sheep make do, though, suggesting that counting sheep means doing it correctly-beginning with building a fence. As Amos sets to work designing and constructing a wall made from toys, the sheep make themselves at home (-Do you happen to have a hot tub?- in Rudge-s pale, chalky mixed-media art, which tempers the silly circumstances. Readers may think differently about counting sheep after reading. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)