SHAUN THE SHEEP: BLAST TO THE PAST (TALES FROM MOSSY BOTTOM FARM) - Martin Howard

Though I am on the other side of the pond (in America), I admit to both a love and fascination with the British animated antics of Shaun the Sheep since seeing the feature film a couple years ago.  This illustrated (beautifully, by Andy Janes) kid's book - my first time reading about the Flock and Bitzer and the Farmer, instead of watching them - is like visiting the characters on-screen all over again.  The story is simple: Shaun, rebuffed in his attempts to play with the cranky, tired Farmer, instead comes up with the idea of building a go-kart, The Mossy Bottom Flyer, that he and Bitzer and the Flock will blast down Roly-Poly Hill for an fun.  As expected, the kart's landing isn't smooth, and when Shaun and his mates dust themselves off, they look about to find that - ??! - their trip down the hill sent them back in time!  The dirty, stained tractor gleams like new ... a baby chick stands trying to crow on the gatepost, where only the rooster once stood ... and, the biggest shock of all, from around the corner of the house comes the Farmer - now a young man with a full head of red hair and a beard, carrying a book of instructions on farming!  Even the nasty pigs over in the sty are suddenly wearing baby bonnets and sucking on pacifiers!  When it becomes obvious the young, newbie Farmer is totally inept at his chosen vocation, Shaun and Bitzer - while the rest of the Flock works 'round the clock to fix the go-kart, so they can all go back to the future - find themselves doing everything they can to help the Farmer's inept efforts work, lest he give up and sell the farm, potentially erasing Shaun and company from the future!  It's a wonderful, funny story that actually had me (someone way above the targeted age group) chuckling out loud in several places, and even reading it on my Kindle all I wanted to do was color the wonderful cartoon illustrations that appear frequently throughout.  A charming, funny, kid-friendly tale with a positive message about friendship/helping others, all woven into a story that will keep kids entertained and still loving the characters.  5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.