BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSJack is a Border collie who was born on a California sheep ranch and discovered early that herding is exactly what he was meant to do. When the ranch is lost to a wildfire and the pups are sold off, Jack ends up in a pet store and then with a little girl who dresses him in doll clothes and pushes him in a stroller. Knowing this is no life for a working dog, he escapes and sets off on his own, hoping to find his way back to the sheep and the purpose he felt on the ranch. Along the road he meets a wandering Goat Man, a pair of small-time thieves, and finally a boy named Luke who lives in a home for boys waiting to be adopted.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Sheep
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Sheep. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a little girl put a dress and matching bonnet on a puppy?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
A girl named Penelope picks Jack out at the pet shop as her birthday present. She immediately dresses him up and pushes him around in a baby stroller, making him play "baby" while she plays "mommy." Jack finds it humiliating.
- First half
In what book does a fisherman slice open a cod and hand-feed the meat to a stray dog?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
Jack wanders to a coastal town where fishermen unload their catch. One friendly fisherman guts a cod and feeds Jack the white meat from his palm, laughing and calling him a "fish dog" because he eats it so eagerly.
- First half
In what book does a woman at the pound say a dog is "too perfect" and refuse to adopt it?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
Jack tries so hard to be the ideal dog at the pound that one mom almost picks him, then changes her mind saying there's "something wrong" because he's "too perfect." It's bitterly ironic for a dog just trying to get adopted.
- Second half
In what book does a dog try to bite an elephant's foot to stop it from charging into a crowd?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
When the circus fire panics the animals, the biggest elephant charges toward the crowd trying to get out. Jack races after the elephant with his flaming cart bouncing behind him and tries to bite its tough hide. He eventually nips its lip, which slows it down just enough for the people to escape.
- Second half
In what book does a dog tackle a boy off railroad tracks just before a train arrives?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
After escaping the circus, Jack spots a boy walking along the railroad tracks just as a train approaches. When the boy dives back onto the tracks to grab something, Jack hits him from behind like a four-hundred-pound sheep. They both tumble off the bank as the train rushes by. This is how Jack meets Luke.
- Near the end
In what book do boys in striped pajamas swarm around a bed like a flock?
✓ Answer
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs
When the boys at the orphanage discover Jack hiding under Luke's bed, they crowd around in their striped pajamas, all excited to see a dog. Jack notices there is a hunger in their eyes that food can't satisfy. They all need to hug a dog, but Mrs. Pinch blows her whistle and sends them back to bed.
