Wool in Print: The Shepherd's Life and The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd

I originally wrote this post from a hotel room when we were  unexpectedly waylaid at the end of our trip. When I got back home, it was gone. So while this isn't the original post I had intended, it's as close as I can remember.

The celebration that is Wovember is incredible - so incredible, I'm honestly having trouble keeping up. I think I'm going to have to savor the Wovember stories over the next month or so. 

But what couldn't wait were these two books - The Shepherd's Life and The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd by James Rebanks, also known as @herdyshepherd1 on Twitter. 

The Shepherd's Life weaves history, life, and the seasons together to give a captivating glimpse of what it's like to be a shepherd in England's Lake District. I was particularly struck by how Rebanks's childhood teachers dismissed agriculture and animal husbandry as something belonging to the past and no longer relevant. But Rebanks shows just how important traditional ways of life are, and just how knowledgeable shepherds are about the land, the environment, and their sheep. 

The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd is a continuation of the story, but with many more pictures, all in full color. This book also has lots more of Rebanks's signature humor. I particularly loved the bits about border collies - since I'm the proud mom of a border collie, I might be a bit biased. 

If you've enjoyed Wovember in the slightest, both of these books are required reading. The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd isn't widely available in the U.S. yet - my copy came all the way from the UK - but it's well worth the wait.

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