chickens

Book Review–Oliver by Christopher Franceschelli

| Tasha

oliver

Oliver by Christopher Franceschelli

This minimalist board book has an interesting novelty piece at the end.  On most of the pages there are only an egg and one line of text.  The text explains the limitations of being an egg.  An egg can roll from side to side, even stand on its head, but still it is just an egg.  Until something happens.

In this book, the final moment where the egg becomes something else is told through a non-removable ribbon that runs through two pages.  Turn the page and the egg is transformed into a chick.  The process of turning that page is fascinating and will have children turning the page back and forth from egg to chick to egg.

The book has a sturdy feel that would make it a novelty book that could survive a public or school library.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Lemniscaat.

Argus: A Celebration of Being Different

| Tasha

argus

Argus by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Andrea Wesson

When her class at school does a science project with eggs, Sally’s egg looks very different from the regular white chicken eggs.  Hers is much larger and polka-dotted.  When the others eggs hatch, the fluffy yellow chicks emerge.  When Sally’s egg hatches, out comes something scaly and green.  Argus is completely different from the other chicks.  He doesn’t eat seeds, instead he’s rather eat the other chicks.  Perhaps even the students!  Sally finds herself longing for a yellow, fluffy, normal chick of her own.  But when Argus disappears, she realizes that he has become very special to her and that his own unique qualities are what make him himself.

Knudsen has created a picture book that is very funny.  She plays up the humor of a dragon emerging from an egg in a classroom.  I also enjoyed the role of the teacher, Mrs. Henshaw, who takes all of the differences and surprises in stride, managing all of the situations without getting flustered.  It is as matter-of-fact a book about a dragon as you are likely to find, which is a large part of its charm.

Wesson’s illustrations have a light touch and lots of details.  The yellow chicks are roly poly and jolly.  Argus is not.  Yet children will never be afraid of Argus because he wears a smile and has friendly yellow eyes.  Another touch from Wesson are the graphs and measurements that the class makes of their “chicks.”  Argus definitely does not conform.

A funny, wry book about differences and acceptance, this book will be welcome in libraries and classrooms as a way to discuss difficult subjects with humor.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Chicks Run Wild: A Silly Bedtime Book

| Tasha

chicksrunwild

Chicks Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Ward Jenkins

Mama Hen tucks each of her five little chicks into bed with fluffed up pillows and kisses.   But when she leaves the room, the chicks run wild!  They jump, play, dance.  Even though they try to hide what they are doing from their mama, she figures it out.  Again, she tries to tuck them into bed, but again they run wild when she leaves.  Finally, she catches them in a wild pillow fight and that is when her response surprises the chicks.  She offers to play with them!  Now all of them go wild with dancing.  The chicks get tired and beg to return to bed, so now is mama’s turn to continue the wild evening in her own way.

Bardhan has written the book in a rollicking rhyme that is ideal for reading aloud.  At times the rhythm of the verse can be clunky and the rhymes may be a stretch, but the attitude of the book more than makes up for these small issues.   Her ultimately flexible parenting model in the book reminds all of us that sometimes rules are meant to be bent and broken. 

Jenkins’ illustrations are large and vibrant.  They will work well with groups of children who will also enjoy their frenetic energy.  The illustrations, done in pencil and painted digitally, have a great modern and cartoon feel that will appeal to young readers. 

This book will wake up bedtime stories or it can be used to enliven spring story times.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Also reviewed by:

Chicken Big: Huge Laughs

| Tasha

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Chicken Big by Keith Graves

A fractured version of the classic Chicken Little story, this book is big on chickens and big on humor too.  A huge chick is born on a tiny farm in an itty-bitty coop.  When the chick hatches, the chickens try to figure out what in the world it is.  It’s big, even enormous, so it must be an elephant!   That theory only lasts until an acorn falls on the head of one of the chickens and the big chick eats it up rather than running in fear.  If it eats acorns, then it must be a squirrel!  When rain starts to fall and the chickens panic again, the big chick lets them shelter under his wings.  Well, if he keeps them dry in the rain, he must be an umbrella!  Their theories get more and more outrageous as the book continues.  It culminates with a showdown with a sneaky fox that finally convinces the foolish chickens what the big chick actually is. 

Graves writes with such great comedic timing and wonderful surprises that children will be in stitches listening to it.  The very silly chickens are a treat to read aloud, because they are so very idiotic.  The smallest chicken is the really funny one, who offers the various guesses as to the chick’s identity.  Always with a stout and definitive declaration. 

Graves’ illustrations add to the hilarity.  He uses a mix of frames and full page illustrations.  The combination is dynamic and modern.  Often the chickens and the big chick speak in speech bubbles, lending asides that are very clever and funny.  This is a book that has a feeling of mischief and mayhem about it.  It reads wonderfully aloud and will be sure to capture attention that may be wandering in story time.  It’s a perfect final story time book to get them hooked again.

A hilarious take on a classic, this book is perfectly designed and vibrantly original.  Appropriate for ages 5-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Also reviewed by:

Interrupting Chicken – Blog Tour!

| Tasha

I’m very happy to be the concluding blog on the Interrupting Chicken blog tour!

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Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Stein’s new picture book will earn him even more fans in the picture book world.  It is time for little red chicken to go to bed.  Her father agrees to read her a story, but tells her not to interrupt.  She promises not to.  So he begins Hansel and Gretel but just as they are about to enter the witch’s house, little red chicken interrupts and changes the story.  Her father tries again with Little Red Riding Hood with exactly the same result.  Finally, after little red chicken pleads for another chance, he tries Chicken Little.  She interrupts again and is still wide awake.  So her sleepy father climbs into bed himself and has her read him a story.  I wonder if interrupting runs in the family?

This book is a charmer and will have children laughing gleefully along as little red chicken continues to interrupt at just the right (or wrong) time.  Stein’s short introductions to the familiar fairy tales nicely set up each story and lead to a climactic point.  Then little red chicken’s interruptions add a great tone and speed to the text, filled with enthusiasm about the stories themselves.  My favorite part is that she is so drawn into the stories that she feels she must help the characters.  This book really is about the power of reading with a child. 

Stein’s illustrations are done in a great palette of colors with reds, teals, blues and greens that are vibrant and exciting.  The depth of color on the page is fantastic with few of the pages offering white space at all.  This gives it a very warm, cozy feel. 

A perfect read aloud, this book will be loved by anyone who hears it.  The comedic timing is built into the story and it is a pleasure to share it aloud.  Add this one to your pile of funny chicken books and your bedtime stories.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick.

 

Visit the other blogs that are part of the tour:

Aug. 9 – Picture Book Review, http://picturebookreview.com/

Aug. 10 – Katie’s Literature Lounge, http://katiesliteraturelounge.blogspot.com/

Aug. 11 – Readaholic, http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

Aug. 12 – Two Writing Teachers, http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

Aug. 13 – Not Just for Kids, http://notjustforkids.blogspot.com/

Aug. 14 – Milk and Cookies, Comfort Reading . . ., http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/

Aug. 15 – Bookworm’s Dinner, http://bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/

Aug. 16 – Where the Best Books Are, http://wherethebestbooksare.blogspot.com/

Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks

| Tasha

Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Rick Chrustowski

Banty Hen lays seven beautiful brown eggs that hatch into seven chicks.  Only a few days later, the chicks leave the safety of the nest to explore, but they don’t have any idea what is dangerous and what is safe.  So Mama and the Auntie hens must keep a close eye on them.  They encounter a cat, a snake, and a raccoon.  Luckily, they have the shelter of Mama’s wings and the bravery of the Aunties to protect them throughout the day and into the night.

Joosse’s text is great fun to read aloud.  While it doesn’t rhyme, it has a great cadence.  The book is sprinkled with sounds too, so get ready to make plenty of chicken noises to warn the chicks.  It would be great fun to have children at a storytime help Mama call to warn the chicks when they spot danger.  Chrustowski’s collage art is perfect for using with a group.  He uses bright colors and clear images.  The various animals all have distinct personalities, including the winning chicks. 

Recommended for your next chicken story time, this book will fit right in with the flock.  It will also be a welcome addition to springtime units, no yolk.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Egg Drop

| Tasha

Egg Drop by Mini Grey

Grey returns with another fantastical tale about an inanimate object. This time it is an egg.  An egg who would not wait.  An egg who would not listen.  The Egg wanted to fly – like a bird, like a helicopter, like a round brown blimp.  But it did not understand aerodynamics, so it headed up a tower to soar.  At first the egg thought it was flying.  But it was falling instead.  Don’t despair, it did not go to waste.

Grey is wonderfully quirky in all of her picture books.  Mixing in Bernoulli’s principle and aerodynamics just adds to that strange surrealism in her picture books that make them both very different and very intriguing.  Her illustrations are mix graph paper with flying eggs, what’s not to love!  With this book, Grey has once again expanded what picture books can be about and what they can say. 

A strange and interesting picture book that does not nicely fit into units or story times, but is wonderful nonetheless.  Share this one with any quirky kids you know.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Squawking Matilda

| Tasha

Squawking Matilda by Lisa Horstman.

Unique illustrations pair with a story about responsibility in this picture book.  Mae receives a note from her Aunt Susan saying that she is sending her a chicken to live with her.  Mae loves to have new projects, so she thinks a chicken would be perfect.  When Matilda arrives, she doesn’t look like any other chicken on the farm.  First Mae needs to learn to care for a chicken: food, water, and cleaning up the coop.  And the jobs become difficult and a little dull, so Mae goes on to work on other things.  In her absence, Matilda pines away and loses almost all of her feathers.  Mae finally realizes something is wrong and sets out to do things right.  She creates a chicken-sized jacket and hat to keep Matilda warm without her feathers.  And the two of them become fast friends.  When Aunt Susan arrives to check on Matilda though, Matilda is nowhere to be found.  What could she be up to now?

Horstman created puppets for the illustrations with stainless steel innards and felt bodies with polymer clay hands and heads.  The puppets were photographed against neutral backgrounds and the details of the scenes were done with painted backdrops that were added later.  This process created intriguing illustrations that are obviously more 3D than a flat painting but still retain some of the painted feel as well.  The characters are charming, especially the cat who is always looking hungrily at Matilda and Matilda herself with her expressive head of feathers.  The story line is accessible and interesting too with wry touches of humor throughout.

This book is appropriate for ages 4-6 and would make a handsome addition to a chicken storytime with its unique feel.

Little Chick

| Tasha

Little Chick by Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jeram.

This is a picture book that creates a world with just a few words, great characters, and wonderful illustrations.  Little Chick has three stories in this book.  One involves a small carrot, the second a stubborn kite and the third the wonder of stars.  Hest works with repetition that links all three stories together as well as a gentle style that is happy and warm.  The two characters of Little Chick and Old-Auntie (a big hen) are classic and yet fresh here.  The relationship between the two is lovely to read as Old-Auntie understands Little Chick and gently guides her to try another way. 

Hest has just the right amount of text here which is presented in a nice big font.  The book reads aloud well and though it has three stories in it is the length and size of a regular picture book.  Jeram’s illustrations are light, energetic and simply delightful.  They capture the vivacious little bird, the security and stature of the hen, and the beauty of garden, hillside and night while retaining their fresh light approach.

The perfect spring book, these stories are classic, gentle and lovely.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.