Goodnight Sheep (Sally Barton, illus Cherie Dignam, Fremantle)

For some parents and carers, nothing is more anxiety-inducing than bedtime. Sally Barton’s Goodnight Sheep, illustrated by Cherie Dignam (The Pen series), embraces this universal challenge, inviting readers to find humour in the chaos and delight in the soothing bedtime routine. Goodnight Sheep is ideal for ages 0–5 as an independent or read-aloud story and puts a playful twist on the age-old night-time practice, celebrating the wild imagination of young children. The result is a joyful reminder that bedtime doesn’t have to be boring and that it’s perfectly normal to find it hard to fall asleep sometimes. The book follows Lilly May, who takes her mother’s advice to count sheep to fall asleep. However, she quickly realises that these sheep are naughty, and all they want to do is play and make a mess. Lilly May’s job is to ensure all ten sheep calm down and go to bed. Dignam’s whacky cartoon illustrations, paired with Barton’s song-like text, create Goodnight Sheep’s delightfully fun and energetic tone across double-page spreads. This colourful and lively book is a valuable addition to any bedtime routine and will charm fans of Lucy Ruth Cummins’s Sleepy Sheepy and Meg McKinlay’s Let Me Sleep, Sheep!

Books+Publishing reviewer: Nadia Heisler is a CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) writer with a background in journalism and a passion for children’s books. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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