The Rainbow Sheep by David Hayward is for everyone! This story celebrates inclusion, self-acceptance and the joys of being different. You'll meet a flock of sheep as they work together to understand the newest member, Rainbow. Rainbow helps the group understand that everyone can be different and act different and still be friends in a community. This is a terrific book to open discussions for young scholars.. Thank you Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for the advance digital copy. I will be ordering this book to share with friends and will be adding a copy to my Little Free Library.

As a mother of two, we absolutely loved The Rainbow Sheep by David Hayward! The story follows Rainbow, a sheep who doesn’t conform to the flock and prefers to do things their own way. My kids couldn’t stop laughing when they saw the hangers with all the sheep’s wool hanging up. As a parent, I appreciated how one of the sheep, Ricky, chose to befriend Rainbow, despite the rest of the flock wanting to cast Rainbow aside. It can be hard to stand out from the crowd, but we all feel different at times, and sometimes all it takes is one person to validate those feelings. The illustrations were perfect for the story, and my children and I had fun spotting the different colors each sheep chose. This book is a beautiful reminder to celebrate our differences and embrace what makes us unique. I would highly recommend it to any family with elementary-age kids!

Thank you to NetGalley and beaming books for this eARC!

It’s so important to teach and advocate for inclusivity, especially given what’s happening in the world right now especially USA. Everyone deserves the right to be themselves without fear or discrimination. Books like this play a crucial role in spreading awareness, fostering empathy, and inspiring change. Thank you for writing this and contributing to a more accepting and compassionate world.

I love this book!!! It's really simple in terms of writing, but that makes this a great book for a wider age range of kids. The plot and the way it developed and grew over the course of the story was absolutely perfect! The author accurately showed how a community can change for the better and the resulting benefits of it. However, Hayward did this in an age-appropriate way that is easy for little ones to understand and follow. Additionally, the main characters of Ricky and Rainbow had much personality without saying much. Their uniqueness and confidence is infectious, and many readers will feel inspired to be themselves, with authenticity and courage. As for the illustrations: they started out a bit more simple, and increasingly more color got added as the story progressed. This relates to my earlier point of this book's impressively seamless development. Lastly, I love how the illustrator weaved in various pride flags towards the end of the story!! This is so important for little ones to see in order for them to build understanding and empathy skills, and it also allows them to feel seen if they identify with the queer community. Bravo!!

This was adorable! The illustrations were super cute and I loved loved loved the use of the Trans flag! This is a cute way to begin introducing diversity and inclusion to littles before they really understand what it means to be LGBTQIA+ . My 2.5yo thought this book was so fun and had me read it to her a few times in one sitting. She loved the rainbow sheep and kept going “look rainbow mama, rainbow sheep.”

I love this! This is a book about embracing your true self and not succumbing to the pressures of conformity. It's also an empowering message about the impact a single person can make when they embrace their differences.

Pure Fun and Joy

The writing of this book probably took far more work than can by judged by the word count, for it was incredibly expressive. By leaving out the standard page by page text, the sheep themselves tell a story that could be about whatever the reader imagined.

It's not only a great tool for counselors or teachers, it's fun for parents and kids of all ages. The illustrations are so cute and clever! And everyone loves rainbows and playful, fluffy sheep (of all colors.)

Thank you to author David Hayward and NetGalley for the free advance readers' copy. I'm under no obligation to them, I was delighted by The Rainbow Sheep and think it will make a fine gift for all ages.

Beautiful story demonstrating why diversity it’s important. Lovely, suitable for any age. Thank you to the author. Thank you to # NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Such a lovely book about being accepting of everyone’s differences and learning to be yourself. The little sheep are super cute.

I loved this so much! A lovely and important message for all of us at any age. I loved how this book both encouraged us to be our full selves and showed the beauty and importance of celebrating other people just the way they are too. Seeing the trans flag in this book made me very emotional and was very appreciated!

Thank you very much to both NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the ARC!