The Rainbow Sheep
by David Hayward
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Pub Date May 13 2025 | Archive Date Not set
Broadleaf Books | Beaming Books
Talking about this book? Use #TheRainbowShow #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
*Published by our sister imprint, Beaming Books
A humorous story about inclusion, self-acceptance, and the joy of being different.
Ricky lives with a flock of sheep that prizes conformity. When one sleeps, they all sleep. When one eats, they all eat. When one baa-a-a-s, they all baa-a-a. And they all dress the same too. Every single day.
Until a rainbow sheep joins the flock and everything changes! Rainbow is so fun and so free! Ricky becomes friends with Rainbow and starts showing her true color too. How will the rest of the flock react?
Find out in The Rainbow Sheep, a humorous story by cartoonist David Hayward.
Advance Praise
"The Rainbow Sheep is one of the most beautiful and hopeful picture books that I've ever read. Like the book's star, Rainbow, David Hayward is one of a kind, a pastor who uses his gifts to offer all of us a thoughtful, diverse, and inclusive glimpse of God and ourselves."
—Matthew Paul Turner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Is God Like?
"This book is the child-friendly rendition of the quote by Lilla Watson, which claims our liberation is bound together. Rainbow Sheep will set your child free to be themselves, and teach them their freedom sets others free."
—Cindy Wang Brandt, author of Parenting Forward and You Are Revolutionary
Marketing Plan
- Review copies and publicity pitches to trade and children’s media
- Publicity campaign for print, broadcast, radio and podcast
- Outreach to children’s books and progressive religious influencers
- Pitches to Canadian media, opportunities, and stores through Manda Group
- Social media and paid search advertising
- Award submissions
Available Editions
EDITION | Hardcover |
ISBN | 9781506498362 |
PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 32 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

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.”
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Nigel Henbest; Simon Brew; Sarah Tomley; Ken Okona-Mensah; Tom Parfitt; Trevor Davies; Chas Newkey-Burden
Entertainment & Pop Culture, Humor & Satire, Nonfiction (Adult)