Brian is just a regular sheep in a regular field doing regular sheep things when along came another sheep, and another, and another... Each new sheep or sheep(s) has an objection to the way another sheep looks or speaks. Friendships are made and abandoned due to their differences.

Soon, Brian finds himself sad and alone. That is, until he comes face to face with a wolf who is not so picky about the characteristics of his next meal. Brian tracks down the other sheep to warn them about the wolf. Even though they’d rejected him because of wool that was the wrong color, because the words he used were weird, or because his horns weren’t just right, Brian was brave enough to confront them all. He taught them that they were all sheep regardless of their differences. He teaches them that to survive with the wolf around, they’d need to work together.

Paul Stewart has written a story that will always be relevant in childhood. Jane Porter’s illustrations bring the sheep to life in a colorful and attractive way. Their book teaches that coming together because of their similarities is better than being apart due to their differences. “Courage comes in all sheep and sizes.”


Thanks to Flyaway Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #BrianTheBrave

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As I first got into this book I thought it was going to turn out to be a disappointing look at the racism problem. It's not. It introduces goats with all kinds of differences, and all kinds of prejudices, and shows that they not only CAN but HAVE TO work together and be friends to make it in life. The artwork was very engaging.

Such a cute story about seeing the good in everyone around. How difference don’t matter and just make each person unique. The story is fun and so are the illustrations. They have color and texture, and depth. A wonderful addition to any collection.

Brian is a free-spirited little sheep who loves to play and loves everyone to be included in that playtime. But sadly he soon finds out that the other sheep don't have the same tolerance level as he does. They will only play with sheep who they pick and they make the rules as to who gets that privilege. Unfortunately Brian doesn't fit their expectations and he is shunned from playing.

Poor Brian goes off broken-hearted and alone. Rejection is a hard pill to swallow. Then a mean, blood-thirsty wolf appears out of nowhere and Brian knows he needs the help of the others to ward off this dastardly villain. He warns the other sheep of the grave danger that is among them and bravely awaits to see how they will respond. Will they rally together and fight off this treacherous beast? Will their differences dissipate and they all come together as a mighty sheep-force-to-be-reckoned-with and put their petty differences aside?

This story is about friendship, teamwork, inclusivness, kindness, and bias based on race or language. It is sure to spark conversations around those themes at home or in classrooms. The illustration are colourful, playful, expressive and enrich the text visually. The book celebrates our uniqueness and what a beautiful thing that can be. I highly recommend this book.

Courage comes in all sheep and sizes. :) Brian the Brave is a cute children's book about getting along with everyone. It doesn't matter if they're spotted or solid or how they talk. It's a cute story and has great artwork.

First, I love the illustrations, they're bright, cheerful, full of fun, and go perfectly with the story. Brian is a very friendly sheep who just wants to make new friends. But as Brian meets new sheep, he finds that not all of them want to be friends because of various biases. Some don't like sheep with white wool, or without horns, or who use funny words. But when a wolf shows up, they decide to work together to chase him away, by turning their differences into strengths. A good story to help younger children understand inclusivity, and that it's okay to be different.

#BrianTheBrave #NetGalley

Brian the Brave is the story of a sheep that just wants to play with everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to play with him or with everyone else. He quickly learns that not all sheep want to play together. Some sheep only want to play with those that have horns and other only want to play with sheep that have black wool. This book will be an incredible teaching tool for fairness, inclusivity and kindness. I can't wait to share with my class and start some big discussions.

This is a cute little picture book about a bunch of funky-looking sheep who have to overcome their biases to save their own sheepskins.

First of all, I love the page at the beginning introducing all the sheep with their unique appearances. Their names are pretty amusing, too. Once we get into the story, it's obvious that we're reading about racism and language biases. Brian's pretty open to playing with all sorts of different sheep, but some of the others don't want to play with a white sheep or a plain sheep or a sheep that uses funny words. Eventually, the biased sheep all run off to play together, leaving Brian all by himself. Now, a sheep by himself is ripe for the picking, and poor Brian does encounter a wolf. The wolf chases him and then chases all the other sheep, not caring one whit about whether they have horns or fancy wool or how they bleat. It's Brian who rallies the rest of them to take on the wolf, and they eventually defeat him and then prance off into the field together to play.

The message is a little heavy-handed, although for little kids the lack of subtlety is probably okay. I'm guessing that there are also going to be people who see this as having a white-supremacist tone, since Brian is white and is the sheep who's first discriminated against (I would hope that people wouldn't read so much into a children's picture book, but I won't be surprised if it happens). We've got striped and polka-dotted sheep here, though, so it's not like there's a straight art-to-life comparison. Any group can be discriminated against, and we see that here with the sheep not wanting to play with each other if they're too plain, too white, too horny (um... you know what I mean), too creative with their word choices, etc.

The colourful collage illustrations are interesting. Each sheep is distinct and unique. The wolf is kind of rough-looking, but it's suitably scary with lots of teeth and a lolling red tongue. I don't really have any complaints about the pictures; they're pretty fun to look at, and complement the story well.

Overall, this is a nice little book about overcoming prejudice and appreciating the similarities that bring us together rather than the differences that set us apart.

The children's picture book Brian the Brave is a unique twist on the important messages of friendship, working together and not judging someone by the way they look or act. I read this book with our 6 year old who is currently in kindergarten.

He is at the age now where there are groupings of kids that can sometimes make a child feel left out. This book shared how Brian felt excluded by the other sheep because of his differences and it was a very relatable feeling for the intended audience of this book.

Brian was able to express his sadness but then move forward. Brian was able to help the group of sheep as a whole, realize that their differences may make them unique in some ways, but they could all come together and be a team.

The illustrations were beautifully done and this was a quirky and enjoyable take on the age-old message of not judging a book by its cover. Thank you to NetGalley & Flyaway Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.