The Sheep Book carries the reader along through a year in a sheep’s life during which sheep and shepherd form a symbiosis. A knowledgeable shepherd manages a flock in such a way as to provide an appropriate environment for all phases of the annual journey from breeding through pregnancy, lambing, growing of lambs, marketing of lamb and wools, and revitalization of the sheep for another cycle. The Sheep Book guides the reader to working with the instincts of the sheep—treating them as animals with special talents and ways of behaving that can be engaged and directed. The reader is encouraged to learn from the sheep, for they are the best teachers of a successful shepherd.

Ron Parker is an academic geologist who turned to sheep raising in 1976. He is author of numerous magazine articles, former editor of the Minnesota Shepherd, and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Lamb and Wool Growers. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.