This is the regular tale of Mary had a little lamb up until the 12th line and picks up at 17 and 18. The photos match every line of the book. The girl is a little African American girl that reminds me of Lavender from the movie Matilda. At the end of the book, the author includes the entire text of the original poem. The cover for the book on Library Thing isn't the same as the actual book. ( )

Mary had a little lamb involves a very loving little girl who has a pet lamb that cannot bear the separation of one another. The lamb follows the little girl to school one day and is very entertaining until the lamb gets put outside. He waits for his keeper to leave school and to go home. She gives the lamb so much love and affection.

This book was very interesting to me. When I was growing up I always just heard the nursery rhyme of this but never a book version. When I finished reading this book, I was looking in the back and read that this version was about a real little girl with a pet lamb. The pictures that are in the book are actual pictures of the girl and the lamb. They are in color and were very vibrant.

As a classroom extension, this would be a good example of illustrations that are actual pictures instead of drawings. This could also be used in a poetry unit because this book is also lyric poetry.