A Co. Laois man from a farming background has partnered with a farm accident charity for his third children’s book The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep.
Brendan McDonald of Bed Time Story Publishing grew up on a mixed farm – tillage, beef and sheep – in Killeen, south Co. Laois. In his latest work, he follows the tale of Sally the sheep as she tries to find her lost teddy bear so that she can go to sleep.
Illustrated by Co. Donegal-based Martin Beckett, 20% of net profits from the book sales will be donated to Embrace Farm – Farm Accident Support Network.
Childhood accident
Brendan almost lost his arm in a farming accident when he was seven-years- old, so a partnership with the Laois-based farming charity is very close to his heart.
The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep is a heart-warming bedtime story about a situation common in so many households: The mystery of where has a teddy bear, toy or comfort blanket got to before bed.
“Having witnessed first-hand the bedtime drama of trying to find a favourite soft toy or comfort blanket and being involved in the ‘Where did you last have it?’ search, I was inspired to put the drama into a positive bedtime story that will resonate with kids and parents alike,” said Brendan.
Sally the sheep
The story follows Sally the sheep who is trying her best to go to sleep. But disaster for Sally, she can’t find her bestfriend Ted who always slumbers with her.
She starts to recount all the places where Ted could have been, including the farmyard, the zoo and even far away to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Brendan, who studied law at University of Limerick (UL) and who works with IDA in a role in its Paris office, having moved there in January, was delighted to once again work with illustrator Martin Beckett from Co. Donegal.
“Working with Martin is easy and the process is now seamless and we both think this is our best collaboration yet,” said Brendan.
“Martin’s beautiful illustrations really resonate with the young readers.”
Some of the characters from his first two books are also to be found in the third book.
“I wanted a link with all the books so the eagle eyed will spot Edward the elephant, Olive the owl, Gerry the giraffe and Molly the mouse once again thanks to Martin’s creativity,” the author explained.
The stories strike a chord the world over as the messages in them are really positive, Brendan said.
Charity support
20% of net profits from the sale of The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep will be donated to Embrace Farm – Farm Accident Support Network.
“As a Laois man, I am very proud to support Laois-based charity Embrace Farm whose vision is to be a caring, supportive community for all affected by farm accidents and traumas,” Brendan said.
“As they do such amazing work, I wanted to make a donation from book sales.”
He was delighted to get the support of Anna May McHugh, managing director, National Ploughing Association, who launched the partnership this week on the ploughing site in Ratheniska, with the help of Caroline Redmond, Embrace Farm’s Encircle programme coordinator.
Brendan is proud of the fact this book, like his first two books Elephant on the Farm and Giraffe in the Trees, is once again written, illustrated and printed in Ireland.
The book is printed by Modern Printers in Kilkenny.
“It was very important to me that The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep was again illustrated and printed in Ireland and bringing the books entirely to life in Ireland was certainly a pre-requisite again on my publishing journey,” the author said.