''Russell the Sheep'' is a 2005 children’s picture book by Rob Scotton, also the creator of ''

Splat the Cat ''Splat the Cat'' is a 2008 children's picture book by Rob Scotton. The book was made into an animated 9-minute short in 2010 by Weston Wood Studios, with animation by Soup2Nuts. Plot Splat is so scared of his first day of Cat School that his ta ...

''. The book tells the story of an

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

c sheep.

Plot

Russell is a sheep that has trouble falling asleep sometimes. Perhaps he needs it to be dark for him to sleep. But he is scared of the dark. Perhaps he is too hot, perhaps not. After all that fails, Russell attempts to count things to help him fall asleep. He counts his feet, the stars, all "6 hundred million billion and ten" of them but is still wide awake. He then has an epiphany and decides to count sheep. This finally helps him fall asleep.

Reception

Reviews of the book were generally positive, complimenting the illustration style and humorous plot. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' stated the book was “A hilarious woolly insomniac…adorably funny… runaway hit.” ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' stated "Scotton makes a stylish debut with this tale of a sleepless sheep—depicted as a blocky, pop-eyed, very soft-looking woolly with a skinny striped nightcap of unusual length—trying everything, from stripping down to his spotted shorts to counting all six hundred million billion and ten stars, twice, in an effort to doze off. . . .Russell doesn’t have quite the big personality of Ian Falconer’s Olivia, but more sophisticated fans of the precocious piglet will find in this art the same sort of daffy urbanity. " ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' stated "Russell, a sheep longing for shuteye, is on the case in this sweet-natured picture book. . . . British native Scotton's children's book debut blends silly and warm into the kind of package that appeals to a broad age range. His stylized sheep—all fleecy white fluff atop matchstick-thin legs, with ping-pong-ball eyes—are simultaneously endearing and comic against a dark night-sky background. . . .This fresh-feeling bedtime story about one animal's restless ramblings should prove an entertaining send-off-to-the-Sandman for young readers."

Awards

In 2005, the book was shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Award's Best New Illustrator Award. In 2005, the book was also shortlisted for the

Kate Greenaway Medal The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...

. The book was chosen as a "Children's Choice" by the Children's Book Council.

References

{{Reflist 2005 children's books American picture books HarperCollins books Fictional sheep