Brenda is a Sheep
Brenda, a wolf in sheep’s clothing teaches the sheep new games including catch, teeth sharpening, and tag. Despite her apparent differences, the sheep enjoy their new friend, and want to be just like her. Brenda has a hidden motive—she wants the sheep to be a tasty ingredient with her special mint sauce. Brenda gets a surprise of her own from her sheep friends. A funny story about acceptance and friendship.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
After reading the story, have the children return to the beginning and examine the illustrations closely. Ask them to describe Brenda’s expression in each picture. Examples of answers may include some of the following: Brenda sticks out her tongue (she probably doesn’t like to eat grass), Brenda clenches her teeth and her hands are in fists (she probably doesn’t like to say baa, baa…), Brenda looks sad when she can’t catch a sheep playing tag. Tell the children that pictures can often help explain more about the story and in this story, Brenda isn’t as honest about her true intentions. It’s what makes the story funny and causes us to laugh.
Share with families the definition of idioms and how they may be used in stories like Brenda is a Sheep to explain more about the story in a funny way to add meaning and humor. Idioms are phrases that mean something different than what the individual words in the phrase mean. Examples of fun idioms used in writing: A wolf in sheep’s clothing, A snake in the grass, keep your chin up, A fish out of water, Up in the air, Two heads are better than one, Cry wolf, A piece of cake, Moving at a snail’s pace, Cool as a cucumber. Discuss what each of the idioms mean and ask participants to share any idioms/sayings that they grew up hearing. How would you explain a sheep in wolf’s clothing to your children?