10/08/2018
A farmer and his family have 12 beloved chickens, among them seven hens named Joyce. The whole group listens avidly during readaloud time, and the hens “sometimes sat on the porch chairs and looked out over the meadow like elegant ladies.” Then a message appears in the dirt: “No more arugula.” Willie and Belle, the farmer’s children, ponder the mystery. “Only the chickens eat arugula,” Willie points out, and a hen named Trixie gives the kids a pointed look. Their parents, Otis and Abby, are quick to believe: “I thought Trixie liked arugula,” Abby says. The birds’ messages develop from there, with one request for “more stories about brave chickens” and a growing retinue of bystanders clamoring after eggs and chicken talk both. The story isn’t complete, though, until every chicken gets a voice of its own. Artwork by Krosoczka (Hey, Kiddo) uses softly sketched lines and gentle farmyard hues to provide a sense of the farm’s peace and the chickens’ cleverness. MacLachlan (My Father’s Words) offers droll dialogue, a bucolic setting, and a spirited defense of animals as distinct beings with unacknowledged powers of observation. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
Artwork by Krosoczka (Hey, Kiddo) uses softly sketched lines and gentle farmyard hues to provide a sense of the farm’s peace and the chickens’ cleverness. MacLachlan (My Father’s Words) offers droll dialogue, a bucolic setting, and a spirited defense of animals as distinct beings with unacknowledged powers of observation.” — Publishers Weekly
“Krosoczka’s expressive illustrations bring humor and tenderness to each character, human and chicken. MacLachlan’s latest models an attentive, loving, and respectful relationship between humans and their animal companions that even those without articulate pets will appreciate. A sweet, silly, and slightly surreal celebration of individuality and connection.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Children will love suggesting names for the Joyces, as they speculate what the chickens will write next. The cartoonlike illustrations in india ink and brushes and created digitally fill the spreads with color and character, as each chicken and human strut across the pages.” — Booklist
“In this slight but charming tale, a farm family’s chickens discover the power of the written word. But throughout all the excitement...it’s a feeling of family affection that shines through. MacLachlan’s text is sweet and gently humorous; Krosoczka’s expressive watercolors accentuate the personalities of the chickens.” — The Horn Book
In this slight but charming tale, a farm family’s chickens discover the power of the written word. But throughout all the excitement...it’s a feeling of family affection that shines through. MacLachlan’s text is sweet and gently humorous; Krosoczka’s expressive watercolors accentuate the personalities of the chickens.
Children will love suggesting names for the Joyces, as they speculate what the chickens will write next. The cartoonlike illustrations in india ink and brushes and created digitally fill the spreads with color and character, as each chicken and human strut across the pages.
Children will love suggesting names for the Joyces, as they speculate what the chickens will write next. The cartoonlike illustrations in india ink and brushes and created digitally fill the spreads with color and character, as each chicken and human strut across the pages.
Winter 2018
PreS-Gr 2—Farmer Otis, his wife, Abby, and their children, Willie and Belle, are surprised when their 12 chickens begin writing them messages. The family, extremely fond of their chickens, name them, feed them arugula, and let them roam free. Willie and Belle even allow them to peer into their books when they read outdoors. Then one day, messages start appearing: "No more arugula" and "More stories about brave chickens." The messages, sometimes containing reversals of the letter "e," seem to be written by the chickens. When one message rebukes Tripp, the mail carrier, for his fast driving, the disbelieving postal worker decides to camp out that night to discover the truth. The evening's events convince him of the chickens' authorship (though a remark by Willie might lead readers to think otherwise) and he spreads the word. Egg sales take off, and even more messages appear. The large watercolor illustrations, many of them spreads, contain a great deal of humor. The chickens are filled with personality, offering sideways glances, eye rolls, and perplexed or scolding expressions. In one amusing scene, three white hens sit on porch chairs "like elegant ladies." A chicken's-eye view shows a hen, Trixie, seeming to have a confrontation with Otis, only the farmer's boot and pants leg visible. VERDICT This story, suitable for group sharing, will engage readers and could lead to a hunt for clues about the true source of the messages.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA
2018-08-27
A series of mysterious messages yields surprising insights for this farm family.
Farmers Otis and Abby have two children, Willie and Belle—and 12 beloved chickens, who are often included in family activities, eating fresh salads, reading, and sitting in rocking chairs on the porch. Krosoczka's expressive illustrations, rendered in what appears to be watercolor and pencil, bring humor and tenderness to each character, human and chicken. One day, the humans are surprised to discover a message that appears to have been scratched in the dirt by a chicken: "No more ARUGULA." More messages, complete with charming mistakes such as a reversed letter "e," soon follow: "More stories about brave chickens" and "too hot. Can we have a fan?" After Tripp, their letter carrier, tells the townspeople, human crowds appear with smartphones and money in hand to document the "chicken talk" and purchase eggs. Unlike Charlotte's Web, the humans and their feathered wordsmiths appear to live in mutual appreciation happily ever after. Yet the greatest mystery of all is never solved: Can readers trust that these messages truly are coming directly from the chickens? What would it mean if they were not? Regardless, MacLachlan's latest models an attentive, loving, and respectful relationship between humans and their animal companions that even those without articulate pets will appreciate. The farmers and their children present white; Tripp has brown skin.
A sweet, silly, and slightly surreal celebration of individuality and connection. (Picture book. 4-8)
