Rainbow Sheep

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The morning the rainbow came, Genevieve’s sheep were still white, or rather grey and dirty brown as sheep tend to be.

Rain fell from the sky, like snakes slithering down the hill. The sheep slid and skidded in the mud. Gertie, the ewe, lost her footing, and the sky echoed with fearful brays. Genevieve sat in the mud and whispered soothing nonsense stories in the ewe’s ear.

As a rule, Genevieve liked the rain. It brought things, like flowers and fat, slippery worms. But the rain had been falling for a whole week. The sheep were muddy and cold. They had only mushy grass to eat.

Here are two excerpts from inside “Rainbow Sheep,” including samples of the fiber-art illustrations.

The rainbow frowned and faded even more. The sheep were restless under the glower of the rainbow. Gertie snapped at Betty’s heels and Betty jumped a sheep’s length in the air.

Genevieve was worried now. It made sense to her that rainbows needed the strength of happiness to stay colorful, just like children needed milk and broccoli and warm hugs to grow.

How could she make a rainbow smile? She tried once more.

“Look.” She pointed to the ocean that gleamed in the distance. “That’s the kingdom of the mermaids.”

“Mermaids?” asked the rainbow. A bit of its color returned.

“Yes,” said Genevieve, “mermaids that live in castles with starfish chandeliers and coral couches.” The rainbow brightened. It was interested. Genevieve spoke faster. “They have fancy, masked balls where the sharks dance with the dolphins to the music of the whales. The octopus juggles sea anemones, and the sea-horses joust with long-nosed fish. It’s a grand time.”

"Rainbow Sheep" includes 12 Fiber art illustrations and four full pages of Felting for Fun for kids activities, glossary & fiber art activities.