Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind

by Monica Silvie, Elina Ellis (Illustrator)

Overview

A flying masked bandit (code name: Chickadee) discovers he isn’t quite who he thinks he is in this fresh and delightful tale about discovering one’s true nature.

Meet Chickadee. Criminal. Rapscallion. All-around bad seed. Sure, he started out obeying the rules, following his parents’ advice about finding things to eat and staying away from houses. But then . . . winter arrives. And it’s so much harder to find food in winter! So when Chickadee spies a “vault” full of “gold” near a house by the park (Wait, wasn’t there something to remember about houses?), he cleverly devises a plan to snatch the “vault full of treasure” without getting caught! He is the King of Thieves! Only, hmm, the humans near the vault seem to want him to visit. Maybe Chickadee’s not a criminal after all?

Monica Silvie’s fun first-person storytelling will have readers falling in love with this cheeky and enormously appealing bird and his endearingly misinformed self-perception. Chickadee’s growing understanding that he’s not actually a criminal, and that what he really wants is a friend, adds a lovely poignancy to the humor. Elina Ellis’s charming, hilarious illustrations bring the adorable Chickadee to life; the way he looks directly at readers with wide-eyed sincerity while he speaks to them is particularly effective. A spread at the back contains facts about black-capped chickadees — illustrated with comments from Chickadee himself — along with further reading and sources, making this both a terrific picture book read-aloud and a great supplement to life science lessons on characteristics and habitats of animals. With such a seamless blend of entertainment and information, learning has never been so much fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525303388
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	254,574
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Monica Silvie practiced law for over fifteen years before returning to her earliest passion, writing for children. She has a certificate in illustration from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind is her first book.
Elina Ellis was born in Ukraine and has a master's in children's book illustration from Anglia Ruskin University. She has illustrated several picture books, including Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind and This Is the Path the Wolf Took. Elina loves wildlife, cooking and a good joke. There is no greater reward for her than a smile on the face of her reader. She lives in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2022

Debut author Silvie’s comic conceit is that a chickadee—as familiar a backyard bird as they come—actually harbors a dark tell-all story. As a group of animal friends gather ’round, and Chickadee relates its “life of crime,” it quickly becomes apparent that this nefariousness was all inside its adorable, black-masked head. Chickadee was warned by loving parents to stay away from human houses, but homes are where the food is, and Chickadee is certain that obtaining it requires guerilla tactics, which Ellis (Shhh! I’m Reading!) maps out with a wink and nudge (“First, I scout the area, checking out my target from every angle”). One day in the middle of winter, Chickadee hears two peach-skinned human children extolling its cuteness, and understands that it isn’t a thief at all: “I’m not even a bad seed. I’m just a little bird being a bird.” A late-in-the-story reference to Chickadee being lonely doesn’t allow for much exploration of that topic, but overall, it’s a snappily told picture book, and visually striking, too. Readers fly through habitats and seasons depicted in imaginatively varied compositions—including the proverbial bird’s-eye view—and soft, textured color reminiscent of lithography. Back matter includes facts about the black-capped chickadee. Ages 4–7. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind ... is a fine example of edutainment in which young readers are both entertained and informed.—CM Magazine

... a snappily told picture book, and visually striking, too.—Publishers Weekly

... I expect you'll read this book over and over again. There's no crime in that!—The New York Times

From the Publisher