Two decades on from its publication, Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek is having quite the year. It was the only picture book to made it onto the recent ABC Radio National Top 100 Books of the 21st Century list (this may be a bigger discussion about how we are valuing picture books, but in any case – ). Now, rounding out 2025, those bright, busy sheep are prancing off the chunky board book pages and onto the stage.
Where is the Green Sheep is a co-production of Monkey Baa Theatre Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre, on stage at the Sydney Opera House. The text for this little book may consist of under 200 words, but that does not mean that there isn’t plenty of action. As you probably well know, these sheep are everywhere!
A cast of three puppeteers introduce us to the sheep from the story in short, lively, funny episodes. The blue sheep arrives to eat all of a gardener’s blue flowers, the bath sheep makes quite a mess, and the bed sheep isn’t actually so sure about going to sleep. One of the most fun bits is a dance number honouring the nod to Singing in the Rain from the “rain sheep” illustration.
The cast does all of this without speaking. All of the spoken words are the book’s text, said in voiceover by a child. The sets and props are carefully chosen, all adhering to the familiar visuals of Horacek’s illustrations. A large screen with visual clips designed for the production build the storytelling, and it is carefully woven to ensure the stars are the sheep and people. The sheep puppets are beautifully designed for full fluffy cuteness and personality – and, of course, their skilled puppeteers give them oodles of personality.
The age recommendation for Where is the Green Sheep is 1+. It is definitely aimed at the toddler and pre-school set; though to older siblings who come along, it will probably feel like a warm blanket of nostalgia.
No spoilers here as to where that green sheep is, but I’ll confirm that the reveal is a lovely moment of stage magic and a nod to how special this story is to the little and big people in the audience.
*I attended Where is the Green Sheep as a guest of Sydney Opera House.*
Where Is the Green Sheep runs at the Sydney Opera House through 23 December
Tickets and information
Run time: 45 minutes
Age Recommendation: 1+