Davy begins life as an only sheep, and enjoys his parents’ undivided attention “for four glorious years”—until Petey is born. And then comes Mike, Stu, Mickey, Carl, Pip, Ralph, Tate, Lenny, Gil, Ned, and Bob. All of the younger brothers imitate Davy’s every move, driving him crazy. If Davy chooses Toot Loops for breakfast, so do his brothers. If he walks around like a monkey, all twelve brothers walk like monkeys, too. His parents assure Davy it’s just a phase, and sure enough, the day arrives when not a single sib follows Davy’s lead on what to have for breakfast, or on anything else. The splendor of solitude quickly fades, and Davy finds that he’s lonely without their constant companionship. But the next morning, when Davy yawns, it’s followed by a yawn from the next room. When Davy sings “a tender ballad” in the bathroom, he hears another voice singing the same song. Gertie has arrived, and she “copied Davy’s every move.” Humorous illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text, showing a family of individually distinct sheep and offering clever visual details of the entire crew’s activities. (Ages 3–6)

Life for Davy was glorious as long as he had his mother and father to himself. But then he got a brother, Petey. When Davy sang, Petey cried. When Davy created a masterpiece, Petey spat up on it.
And then he got another brother, Mike! And another, Stu! And another, Gil! Until he had TWELVE LITTLE BROTHERS! And that was only the beginning!