Tom Nancy - by Mac Barnett (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

THREE STARRED REVIEWS! - From two of the most acclaimed and beloved picture book makers today, Mac Barnett and X. Fang, comes a hilarious trickster tale like no other. A sneaky sheep has a proposal for an innocent boy that will change both of their lives forever: a brain swap!

Farmer's son Felix knows that Tom Nancy is a clever little sheep. Still, Felix is surprised to learn that not only can this sheep talk, he also has a marvelous machine stowed away in the barn that will allow them to switch brains for the day. Felix agrees to Tom Nancy's idea of a swap, and it works! Felix finds that life in the pasture as a sheep is interesting. But Tom Nancy discovers that being a boy who wrestles and eats sandwiches is simply stupendous! So when Felix tells him he's ready to switch back, Tom Nancy has another idea . . .

A deliciously subversive story that delivers some just deserts, Tom Nancy will have readers of all ages laughing out loud and on the edge of their seats.

Review Quotes

One of Indigo's Best Kids' Books of 2026 A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Children's Book of 2026

"Barnett's text begs to be read to large groups, thanks to Tom Nancy's outsize personality; this delightful read-aloud will elicit true gasps of surprise at the climax. Attend the tale of a nefarious woolly con artist, and prepare for laughs galore." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"There's no woolgathering in this wickedly funny farm fable . . . . It's a comeuppance tale with bite to spare, and an ending ewe won't see coming." --STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"The rather dark conclusion, with all the air of a classic fairy tale, will shock and delight young readers. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser." --STARRED REVIEW, Booklist

"If you think a fluffy sheep couldn't possibly look evil, think again. . . . Mr. Barnett, who has written adaptations of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Rumpelstiltskin, is clearly steeped in the grand tradition of fairy-tale villains getting their comeuppance without apology. Tom Nancy offers a similar sort of satisfaction." --Wall Street Journal

"Talents Barnett and Fang come together to create a hilarious work that should be shared widely in classrooms, ­libraries and homes; their synergy is sardonic, mischievous and a romping good time. . . . Don't be sheepish, just buy it and read it with as many kids as you can."--School Library Journal

"The rather dark conclusion, with all the air of a classic fairy tale, will shock and delight young readers. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser." --Booklist

"This offbeat fable has the look and vibe of a classic folktale and the kind of cheeky humor that skewers convention. . . . As usual, author Mac Barnett finds a new path to funny, and X. Fang's digitally completed graphite illustrations update the look of traditional folktale characters." --Common Sense Media

"So good. It's one of those rare books where the author and the illustrator really seem to be egging each other on in regards to who can be more funny." --K-Fai Steele, author and illustrator of A Normal Pig and All Eyes on Ozzy!

About the Author

MAC BARNETT, the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. Mac's books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California.

X. FANG is a Taiwanese-American illustrator. Her picture books include Broken, a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book Award winner; We Are Definitely Human, recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award; and her debut picture book, Dim Sum Palace, which won the Society of Illustrators' Dilys Evans Founder's Award and was named one of Slate's 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years, among other honors. She lives in Midcoast Maine.