Sheep Tales

Gayla couldn’t believe his ears. Oh, they had been through their arguments; they had gone round and round. But it was so rare that Edgar wanted to listen. He liked to be the one doing all the talking. Perhaps he would question every little bit of the narrative and throw in nasty and sarcastic remarks to boot. Who could say? Gayla only knew he now had a chance to tell the Sheep Tales and he loved doing so.

Edgar rolled his eyes as Gayla began: “There are the stories that hold the mysterious key of hope that will last long after you and I are gone.”

Book: Sheep Tales: The Bible According to the Animals Who Were There (A Family Devotional Reader) By Ken Davis, Ken Davis Productions, 2001

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 10+

Subjects: Bible History, Hope

Summary: A hurt raven, angry and bitter for years forms an unlikely friendship with a spotless sheep. When Gayla is selected for sacrifice, Edgar stops raging long enough to listen to why Gayla claims to have hope. Gayla tells him the stories that have brought him hope through the years – the stories of Arvid the platypus, Sub the elephant, Dandy the lion, Herman the sheep, Clarence the horse, Glubber the great fish, Earl the worm, Socrates the sheep and Sable the rabbit. Taking place over hundreds of years, these stories show how the Creator interacts with His creation and how He has a plan to rescue them from the sin that plagues their world.

Notes: The Sheep Tales is a retelling of some Bible stories as might be described if an animal had observed them. It’s also the story of how the animals’ lives were changed through the events that happened. All throughout the story it’s also the tale of how Gayla is trying to bring hope to Edgar. Edgar’s bitterness and pain over his mother’s death when he was young and his partial blindness has made him unable to believe in love. At the end of the story, Edgar is present at the death and resurrection of Christ and finally finds the hope Gayla had been sharing with him. The reading level is that of a ten year old or older, but it would make a great read-aloud for younger children as well.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 5:5-8 – And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks to my friend Katie for telling me I needed to read this and loaning me her copy!