Woolly Jumpers

Gr 2–4—Mike and Jake reluctantly move to the country with their mother, baby sister, and father, who has always dreamed of a rural life. Not sure what they'll do all day, the twins miss the conveniences and entertainments of living in the city-until their father enlists them to mow the grass in exchange for spending money. Mike and Jake borrow their neighbor's sheep without asking, in hopes that the animals will eat the grass. Their plan quickly backfires, and the sheep end up in the boys' bedroom closet and then in the family car before making it back to the pasture. Most chapters are written from Mike's point of view, but some feature conversations among animals, including sheep, a snake, chickens, and the dog the family has recently adopted. The animals' interactions and observations of the family are amusing, and readers will no doubt cringe and giggle when Jake ends up with sheep droppings on his bed. An unsettling and out-of-place near-drowning incident involves the dog rescuing their sister. In the end, the boys realize that there's much more to do in the country than they originally believed. Four black-and-white illustrations of key characters and settings, each of which appears multiple times in a rotation, provide additional context in this slight but amusing title.—Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, Madison, WI