Brian the Brave by Paul Stewart illustrated by Jane Porter

Brian is a sheep - a typical sheep with white wool, curly horns and blue eyes but as we know in nature there are lots of variations and really there is no such thing as "typical" or "normal".  Brian has been living a carefree life unaware of the hurt that can be inflicted by others when he meets another sheep. She is called Rose and Rose has black wood and curly horns. This pair hit it off straight away and enjoy a happy romp around the field. Now comes the first complication. Another sheep arrives. His name is Stanley. Stanley is a black sheep but he has no horns. He declares

"I only like sheep with black wool. White wool is rubbish. I'm just going to play with Rose.' ... They wouldn't let Brain join in. Brian felt sad."

Naturally there are lots of other sheep in the flock. Tracey and Frank have white wool with black and yellow spots and they have curly horns.  This new pair declare they only want sheep with horns in their gang. So now Stanley is very sad. 

More sheep arrive and the pattern continues until finally Brian has had enough:

"We are all sheep ... we should all play together!"

Sadly nothing is solved. Eye colour becomes the next point of difference and once again Brian finds he is once again ostracized from the group - he felt very, very, very sad.

Brian walks away, head low. Oh no he bumps into a wolf! It is time for action - group action. If all of the sheep work together they can defeat this wolf! Brian saves the day and finds a way for the flock to all be friends - thank goodness!

On this page you will find a video where Paul Stewart and Jane Porter discuss their book.  Jane Porter uses collage for her illustrations. On her web site she shows examples of the work she does during school visits. Brian the Brave is one of those picture books which could be discussed by children from a range of ages and it would also be a great text to use when discussing Harmony Day here in Australia. Another discussion topic that is raised by this book is the power of a single word - when I read the word "rubbish" I shuddered.

At times it feels there are so many new books coming out I am overwhelmed with choice and I struggle to keep track of books I want to read. One way I have attempted to "tame this process" is through following book sellers and now children's book publishers on Instagram. In the past I was more concerned with authors and illustrators but a colleague of mine always asks me to supply the name of the publisher when I talk about reading a terrific book. I did some exploring on the web site of the publisher of Brian the Brave - Otter-Barry Books.  And I am now following them on Instagram. Here is their philosophy:

At Otter-Barry Books you will find the best picture books and non-fiction titles, with fantastic art, by some of the top authors and illustrators working today, addressing big themes such as identity, family, cross-cultural issues, world history, natural history and looking after our Earth …

Otter-Barry books are distributed in Australia by Walker Books.