Review of Shaun the Sheep: Blast to the Past

Shaun the Sheep: Blast to the Past (Tales from Mossy Bottom Farm)

by Martin Howard

Illustrated by Andy James

When Shaun rescues a kite from a rubbish heap, he gets an idea for the best go-kart ever. But the Mossy Bottom Flyer drops Shaun, the Flock, and Blitzer the sheepdog in the past on a farm with baby piglets, a fluffy chick for a rooster, and a bearded, young farmer with an earring. Shaun explains how the animals have fallen through a space-time vortex (illustrated with “wibbly-wobbly” squiggles) that leaves them stranded with an eager, but inexperienced, farmer who mixes up feedbags, nearly kills the plants with his guitar music, and insists on eating “wild garlic surprise” despite erupting tummy troubles. Shaun, Blitzer, and the Flock work out of the Farmer’s eyesight to feed the animals, revive the plants, and re-plow the fields in straight rows. After a week of round-the-clock work, the Farmer finally begins to settle into a routine and the Flock is ready to head home on the reassembled Mossy Bottom Flyer. But just as they are about to launch down the hill to zoom into the future, Shaun begins to suspect the snorting pigs whose disguises of bonnets and pacifiers begin to slip. After the second crash of the go-kart, and the return of the real Farmer rejuvenated from a weeklong vacation at a history fair, Shaun, Blitzer, and the Flock realize they didn’t fall through space-time. Instead, they kept the farm running despite the Farmer’s bumbling nephew. Howard’s quirky characters and subtle humor combine with Janes’s impish, black-and-white illustrations to create an engaging chapter book for elementary children that works as an independent read or as a short read-aloud. This series installment can be read in order or as a stand-alone. The lack of perceptible dialogue makes the descriptive text flow and, combined with the illustrations, is perfect for early or reluctant readers.