Martin Howard (2)

At about 77 pages, Shaun the Sheep: The Flock Factor straddles the line between the chapter books and middle grade reading levels and is well-suited for the 7-10 age range. Illustrations throughout, including a few comic book-style spreads, enhance the story and make it an appealing read for reluctant readers and those who prefer graphic novels or comic books to text stories.

I wanted to like Shaun the Sheep: The Flock Factor; based on its cover, it looks like a fun--and funny--read. Unfortunately, it felt rather flat to me, and read as though it were a play-by-play of a movie. (I don't know which order the movie and book were done in, movie first or book first, but either way, the book feels more like a description of a movie than a stand-alone book.) Those who are already fans of the Shaun the Sheep (and Wallace and Gromit) franchise may find Shaun the Sheep: The Flock Factor more funny than I, who had little experience with the franchise before reading this book.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.… (meer)

I'll be surprised if the average ratings on this book don't go up. It's super silly, but it' should be a great read aloud. I was definitely put off by the cover, which screams out laundry detergent or toilet cleanser (the design was probably "borrowed" from Harpic), but it is pretty creative and fun, and then most of the illustrations inside the book are germ battle scenes with neutral backgrounds. Also, despite the militant and highly combative nature of the book, the language isn't all that offensive, in fact is pretty tame and pleasurable, with a very theatrical spin that gives for a wonderful read aloud. I enjoyed the text quite alot, and more than I relished in the illustrations. Illustrator [a:Colin Stimpson|325798|Colin Stimpson|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg] actually seems to specialize in the "gruesome" ...

So, all in all a fun read. Not terribly informative, but I did get a lot of questions from my son after our reading, about germs and the "antibods".… (meer)