The Lost Sheep Series Reviews
ECHIDNAS ON EVEREST
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep series
There is only one way to describe Andrew McDonough’s Echidnas on Everest.
It is:
- Eminently enjoyable
- Exceedingly entertaining
- Excellent, endearing, encouraging and even educational
- Engagingly ellustrated
The Lost Sheep Series is an exceptional way to encourage the faith of young children and Echidnas on Everest is up with the very best.
DS
DAVE THE DONKEY - FINALIST CALEB 2010
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep series
The Easter message of Dave the Donkey is another delightful story from the pen of Andrew McDonough. Dave the Donkey eagerly waits for his grandpa to return from Jerusalem. Dave has exciting news to share. He has carried the King. Grandpa then tells the tragic story of what happened next. There was bad news and good news. The bad news was that the King had died but the good news was that the King was now alive.
Buy Dave the Donkey as an inexpensive gift for the little ones in your life.
DS
THE GARDENER AND THE VINE
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep series
Basil is the on-going hero from a branch of The Lost Sheep family tree and he has returned in a new adventure. The gardener arrives and talks with Basil. He says that he has good news and bad news. Will Basil survive the pain of this cutting experience?
Buy The Gardener and the Vine to find out.
DS
THE LOST SHEEP SERIES
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep
Andrew McDonough has created an endearing set of children’s Bible stories called the ‘Lost Sheep’ series (and no, they are not all about sheep).
At the back of each book you will find the scripture reference on which the story is based. There are some questions to ask children before and after reading the story. The heart of the scripture is maintained, and the ‘might have been’ scenarios sometimes added make the stories more real. Andrew McDonough has a great sense of humour. Even adults will find themselves laughing along with mountain climbing echidnas, or disciples with tattoos and sunnies. Anyone who has been left out of a sports team will relate to the story of ‘Zac the Taxman’. If you’ve ever been in trouble, you will love Cecil the Lost Sheep who made a mistake and was afraid of being found!
The illustrations have the most wonderful facial expressions (on people and animals) and give added depth of feeling to the characters. There are also the tiny cartoons on the title pages, which my older children loved reading. Again, Andrew McDonough’s sense of humour comes through here, and children could easily pick up a large amount of the story just by looking at the pictures.
All the books have a point to them, and while some are ‘Bible stories’ in the traditional sense, some illustrate principles from scripture. Echidnas on Everest is based on Colossians 3:13 and is all about bearing with one another. The entire story here is fictional, but I will not easily forget the lesson about putting up with each other’s faults and working as a team.
There are over a dozen of these wonderful books, which will bring home to children an understanding of the grace of God, and His forgiveness and love for each one of us. Take your children on a journey of discovery to the heart of God as they have never heard it before.
AC
LOST SHEEP SERIES
DAVE THE DONKEY
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep Resources
The frontispiece cartoon of a doddery old donkey trying to climb a palm tree certainly catches the reader’s imagination. It also begs the question of what an antiquated donkey has to do with Jesus’ first Palm Sunday parade. But it is soon evident that elderly asinine is an excellent foil for his rambunctious grandson Dave who is exuberantly relating how he carried a king into Jerusalem. His boisterousness is somewhat muted as he describes the king’s death and resurrection. Grandpa Donkey relates an earlier event when he carried someone special and helps to put the events into historical perspective. But therein lies a tale that will endure for centuries. This recounting of the Biblical story from Mark 11 certainly demands another look at an age-old story. NS
DAVE THE DONKEY
A. McDonough, author & illustrator
Lost Sheep
Dave the donkey carries the king into town. He discovers that instead of a gold crown, the king is given a crown of thorns. The king was dead, but the king is alive. This is a delightful Easter story for the very young.
ECHIDNAS ON EVEREST
Andrew McDonough, author & illustrator
Lost Sheep
There is only one way the echidnas can weather the storm, defeat the yeti and climb Mount Everest: they have to work together. This isn’t easy when they’re such prickly creatures. This is a fun exploration of how to build strong relationships. WN
ECHIDNAS ON EVEREST
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep Resources
Imagine sharing a small tent with 3 spikey, disagreeable echidnas! Emma. Errol, and Edith are the latest arrivals in the Lost Sheep fold. Despite all the challenges confronting them while attempting to climb Mt Everest, they learn to “put up with each other.” (Colossians 3:13) Apart from the challenging setting of echidnas in the snow, the book has many more attention-capturing features: the cartoons on the inside cover, quirky details on the verso page, an unambiguous definition of an echidna, artwork with a humorous twist and a few leg-pulling facts. This is an extremely original approach to teaching children or adults about the importance of patience, tolerance, forbearance and open-mindedness. It is also a uniquely Australian tale with a universal message that should transcend cultural boundaries. Echidnas on Everest, together with Peter the Fisherman, Cecil and Psalm 23, and The Gardener and the Vine complete Series 4 of the Lost Sheep series. NS
THE GARDENER AND THE VINE
Andrew McDonough
Lost Sheep Resources
This title straightforwardly points the reader to Jesus’ story in John 15. A gardener in pruning mode isolates a scrawny branch and confronts it with the colloquial “good news”/“bad news” options. By trusting in the gardener’s expertise, good news becomes great news! McDonough presents children with quite a difficult concept in a form which they can understand. With minimal text and illustrations, important lessons about suffering, trust and hope are conveyed simply and clearly. This story also acts as a Basil prequel when bookended with Basil the Branch (from series 1) and Basil and the Secateurs (from series 2). NS
THE GARDENER AND THE VINE
A. McDonough, author & illustrator
Lost Sheep
Blake the Branch has to trust the gardener that in spite of the pain, being grafted into the vine will bring new life and good fruit. This is a parable to illustrate John 15 and the message of new life in Christ. All Lost Sheep books have helpful information in the back to assist parents and teachers to work through the story with the children. WN
The Lost Sheep is available online from one of our sponsors. Or at your local Christian bookstore. Buy it today and support your local Christian bookstore. For a list of Aussie bookstores check out the Christian Booksellers of Australia Association.