Bleat to the Beat of Baa Baa Baby — the Song for the Picture Book of the Same Title

Two rams in a flock. Two nuts too many?

Unless you’re a farmer, a vet, or a little girl called Mary, you probably don’t get sheep updates on WhatsApp.

I do. And that’s how Baa Baa Baby, the song, got reimagined and refreshed. The original, Bar, Bar Baby, was a song my husband and I wrote more than 25 years ago. We never expected it to grow wool and sprout legs.

But thanks to Darsih — a beloved friend who once worked for my mum here in Singapore for nearly six years — the song got a second life.

Now back in her village in Indonesia, she raises sheep with her husband. It’s a tough way to make a living.

Their flock is small and slow to grow. Why?

🐑 Sometimes a lamb has to be sold to pay for emergencies — hospital bills, school exam fees, that sort of thing.

🐑 Some lambs don’t make it. Their mothers sometimes don’t either.

🐑 Sheep might also be at the mercy of pests and diseases. Traditional remedies are used, because proper vet care is often out of financial reach.

Birth of a Premier League

One day, out of the blue came news from the pen: a baby lamb had just been born.

She had black rings around her eyes — like she’d been born in Ray-Bans.

Since Darsih had named her own baby daughter Chelsea, I asked if I could name this four-legged cutie Liverpool.

Soon afterwards, another mama gave birth to a ram lamb. I named him Manchester. (I don’t have kids of my own. So, yes, I am that naming busybody.)

That should’ve been the end of it. Cute sheep. Quirky names. Story over.

But then Darsih said something that made me sit bolt upright.Since Manchester was a boy lamb, in several months he -- or the resident stud -- would have to go ... to become one of two things ...

Someone’s dinner or some other flock’s loverboy.

“What?! Why?” Asked clueless me.

Because:

🐏 Two rams in a small flock? That’s two balls too many.

🐏 Come rut (mating) season, they’ll butt heads. Literally.

🐏 It’s not just about getting the girl — it’s about being THE guy.

🐏 Rams fight for dominance, and these clashes can be brutal.

🐏 Even in tight quarters, they’ll get territorial and tussle over turf.

🐏 Hierarchy matters — especially if they didn’t grow up together.

🐏 Eventually, one ram will win. But peace? Not guaranteed. Come mating season, round two begins.

👩🌾 How do farmers manage it?

• They often keep rams apart unless needed for breeding.

• Some rotate rams in and out of the flock.

• Others raise rams together from young so they’re used to each other.

Lightbulb Moment

I thought about what Darsih said. Then ... Aha! Sheep drama went nicely with the original lyric. A sweetheart of a girl lamb. Two rams — one  a brawny bully. The other shy and naive. Who’ll get the girl?

Just a few tweaks and I’d have fodder for a picture book and a song.

That sheep rivalry wasn’t so different from the bullying I’d been hearing about in real life — not from pastures, but from school playgrounds.

In the picture book Baa Baa Baby Braves the Big Baa-d Bully, Wooligan’s taunts mirror the way rams butt heads for dominance, only without the bruises.

By blending Darsih’s sheep-farm updates with those real-life bullying stories, I could create a world where kids see that standing up for yourself doesn’t have to mean fighting back the same way.

👨🎤 It’s a rock song for kids who are bouncing off the walls.

👨🎤 It’s the perfect track when you need to drain their energy in time for ZZZs.

👨🎤 Also perfect for car rides to keep your chauffeur awake.

I take the real, the raw, the unexpected — a lamb in shades, a long-chucked-away song, a WhatsApp message from a friend — and turn it into something kids can feel and see, eyes open or closed

🎬 Watch the music video here 

Who’s that tune-slinger?

Meet Marc Grosse — a dear, dear friend whose powerhouse vocals bring the baa-ttle to life. With his wicked sense of humour and full-throttle performance, he’s the voice behind the stomp.

From the first beat to the final bleat, Marc throws himself into the song with all horns blazing.

🎬 Haven’t watched the video yet?

Remember … this ain’t no lullaby.

It’s a toe-tapping, hoof-stomping, full-on baa-tle for your speakers. Let your flock rock!

👉 Baa Baa Baby

 

Sherri Eri is a Singapore-based children’s author and founder of Picture the Book. She writes inclusive picture books and audiobooks shaped by rhythm and carefully chosen words — so children can follow the story even if they can’t see the illustrations.