The Christmas Sheep and Other Stories

From the Publisher
Four stories comprise this book about the first Christmas. Each is about animals who may have witnessed the event—an ill-tempered, mouthy donkey in “The Donkey Makes a Choice”; a bashful sheep, pushed to the edge of her flock by others, in “The Christmas Sheep”; a blathering and imperial ox who's fed up with the commotion in his stable in “The Animals' Christmas”; and a caravan of camels who try not to get lost in “The Confused Camels.”

These are animals of robust character, who by accident are party to the birth of the Christ child. Neither they nor their surroundings are sweet.

Mildly humorous illustrations grant further personality to this bunch of animals and the few humans who move in and out of their busy days and nights.

From the Critics
From Publishers Weekly  
Misfit and cranky beasts of burden find joy and acceptance in the stable where Jesus was born in a quartet of spunky holiday stories, in The Christmas Sheep and Other Stories (1997) by Avril Rowlands, illus. by Rosslyn Moran. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
 
From Children's Literature  
Four stories focusing on the animals involved in the Christmas story are collected in this volume. The first tells of the stubborn donkey who was asked to carry Mary to Bethlehem. He has a choice between leaving for his freedom and staying with the people who were the first to show him kindness. His choice is rewarded when he enters the stable and is present for the birth of Jesus. Similarly, "The Christmas Sheep" and "The Confused Camels" find a new baby lying in a manger. "The Animals' Christmas" imagines the bickering between the animals forced to share the stable that night since Bethlehem was so crowded. Somehow, their petty jostling seems less important once the baby arrives. The stories are illustrated in full-color, in a somewhat primitive style. 2000 (orig. 1997), Good Books, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen
 
From School Library Journal  
Gr 2-5-Ever wonder what the donkey that carried Mary into Bethlehem was like? (Grouchy.) What about the ox that lived in the famous stable-the camels that brought the wise men- the sheep that accompanied the shepherds? Four short connected stories provide the "back stories" for these animals, giving a different, unique perspective to the Nativity. Handsomely composed, vibrantly colored, full- and partial-page illustrations punctuate the stories with amusing details. The personified animals make choices and experience self-revelation, change, and grow better and wiser. A worthwhile addition to read aloud during the Christmas season.-S. P. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.