The Sheep, The Rooster, the Duck
Recommended Ages: 8-12
Page Count: 240
Matt Phelan’s books offer a unique style for younger readers. If you have a child who is a struggling reader, Matt Phelan’s style offers double spacing between lines, illustrations, and plenty of white space to assist readers visually which is helpful for those with dyslexia or Irlen Syndrome.
The essence of this story centers on historical characters and events that actually happened. The key actors in the story include Benjamin Franklin, Franz Anton Mesmer, Queen Marie Antoinette, Joseph Balsamo (Count Cagliostro), Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. The author’s note provides more specific details.
The story, set in France, opens with Ben Franklin’s astonishment at a hot air balloon piloted by a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. What proceeds from this event is an onslaught of espionage as Count Cagliostro attempts to steal Ben Franklin’s coveted and protected notebook full of his ideas. Emile works for Ben Franklin as a housekeeper and at the start of the story has no more ambition than simply cleaning and caring for the house. Emile changes as the story develops from his conversations with Franklin and the experiences of trying to save him from the schemes of Cagliostro.
The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck are an integral part of the story as they send a spy to Franklin’s house to uncover the secrets in his notebook. Emile discovers the intruder and follows him back to the secret hide out, which leads him to become a part of this clandestine group to thwart the evil attempts of Caglisotro.
Overall, this is a cute story that young readers will enjoy. The only element that may concern some families is the mention of sorcery. Mesmer claims to be a hypnotist that brings the animal side of people to light. Caglisotro is the true villain of the story claiming to be thousands of years old and a sorcerer. Ultimately, he is the one desiring to steal Franklin’s notebook to get a hold of the destructive weapons invented by Franklin in order to equip the King of France with the ability to attack England. Due to Emile’s quick thinking and creativity, all does not go as planned.
If you enjoy this story, I suggest checking out Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan. My son was a huge fan of this one. Younger readers will certainly enjoy the story line and structure of the book.
