The Quest of the Warrior Sheep

Gr 4—6—The five inhabitants of Eppingham Rare Sheep Farm are relaxing in their pasture when a silver object falls from the sky. Matriarch Sal is convinced that it is the legendary Baaton, a powerful relic of ancient prophecy. According to the Songs of the Fleece, the artifact is crucial in the war between the great sheep god Aries and his evil rival Lambad the Bad. Sal convinces the other sheep that they must journey to Aries's home to return the Baaton and save the world. Meanwhile, two crooks who dropped a cell phone loaded with stolen bank data out of their getaway hot-air balloon are trying to get the evidence back; a shy farmer and an attractive TV reporter are on the hunt for sheep-stealing UFO aliens, and a boy and his slightly dotty great-grandmother just want their livestock returned. The convoluted, Saturday-morning cartoon-style plot follows all four groups across the English countryside, through the center of London, and up into the highlands-by train, Tube, airplane, and manure truck. There are wild chases, car crashes, near misses, and lots of side excursions and misunderstandings. Even the government gets into the act-in the thoroughly inefficient form of the British Alien Research Military Intelligence. The dialogue is frequently amusing, although "Valley Girl" sheep Jaycey's constant dithering, "Ohmygrass!" becomes monotonous. Unfortunately, the rap talk of Link Longwool (shown on the cover as a black sheep) borders on stereotype—"The Warrior Sheeps is all fleeced up 'n' ready,/We's brave and we's true/and we's real rock steady." This lighthearted, but rather lightweight fantasy doesn't compare to classic animal quests such as Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel).—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL