Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep

If you want to take your children on a journey about fleece from sheep to yarn for a sweater then this book is PERFECT!  Or if you are just looking for a fun book to read I recommend this one.

The Details:

Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool

Written by: Teri Sloat

Illustrated by: Nadine Bernard Westcott

Copyright: 2000

Teri Sloat has put together a fun, comical, fast pace adventure that tells of the process of where wool comes from, how it becomes yarn, and how it is used.  The book follows the sheep as they get sheared, and all their fleece is removed. They become cold and follow their wool on it's journey with the farmer from shop to shop in it's process of cleaning, combing, spinning, dying, and finally being knit into sweaters.  Sloat has delivered all this information in a short rhyming story that flows so easily from one page to the next.  At the end of each short stance you are eager to turn the page to find out what is happening next.

One of the things I like most about the book, aside from the lesson on wool, is that it breaks down sexist barriers and shows that we need to eliminate labels on jobs, hobbies, and likes.  Typically many people associate knitting with old ladies "my grandma knits." Why?  I love that the farmer (male) is the one who knits, who enjoys knitting.  I recently saw a short video of a young man that started his own knitting business and another one where men share how they were introduced to knitting and how they enjoy it.  If this book inspires you to try knitting here are a couple kits for beginners along with a video to help you out.
For children:
For Adults :
The main focus throughout the book are the sheep and the process of the fleece going from them to all the shops.  I love how much you learn about wool.  This book would be great to read before going to see sheep in person, or a place like Quiet Valley where children can actually feel fleece, and comb the it, and see how much work goes into the process.  You might be able to reach out to see if there are any local sheep farms in your area and see if they will give you a tour!

I love when you can take a book that is well written and fun, and then can go and do something from the book and be hands on, I think that balance completes the learning cycle and graphs all that the children have learned into their memory.  Unfortunately I have not done either of the hands on lessons with my children (yet!) but I plan to try knitting with my oldest this fall/winter.

Nadine Bernard Westcott did the illustration in watercolor.  (hint you can find that info in the credits on the same page with the copyright and publication information.  Take a minute to show your children what they can learn on that page)  The illustrations are vibrant, and full of funny sheep and characters that we met along the journey.  With the help of these wonderful images the child doesn't need you to look up what shearing is, how wool is combed, and what knitting is.  Westcott did a beautiful job telling the story through her art.

I hope you take the time to check this book out, maybe even try a new craft.