Chicken in the Kitchen

by Nnedi Okorafor, Mehrdokht Amini (Illustrator)

Overview

What would you do if you woke up one night to find the shadow of a giant chicken passing your bedroom door? Go and investigate, of course!

When Anyaugo follows a giant chicken into her kitchen one warm night in Nigeria, she embarks on a fun-filled adventure where nothing is quite as it seems. Is the nature spirit that lives in the wooden walls of her house a help or a hindrance? Is the mischievous giant chicken a friend or a foe? Most importantly, will Anyaugo be able to save the food her Aunties have cooked for the New Yam Festival the next day?

An entertaining look at the fascinating masquerade culture of West Africa, told from the perspective of a plucky young Nigerian girl who finds the courage to protect the traditions she loves.

WINNER of the Children’s Africana Best Book Award 2016

“Okorafor leaps into the world of picture books in a most unforgettable way with this playful, fascinating tale”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED

“My little boy wanted me to read it three times in a row. So yeah, I think my kids are in agreement on this: Five Stars”—Patrick Rothfuss, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913747558
Publisher:	Lantana Publishing
Publication date:	06/01/2020
Series:	Lantana Global Picture Books Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nnedi Okorafor is a multi-award winning author born in the United States to Nigerian parents. Her children's books have won the Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa and the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature.
Mehrdokht Amini is an Iranian-born children's book illustrator. She has been nominated for a Kate Greenaway Medal and been invited to participate in the prestigious Bratislava Biennial of Illustrations. She lives in the UK.

Editorial Reviews

"Okorafor leaps into the world of picture books in a most unforgettable way with this playful, fascinating tale."—starred,Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

09/01/2017
K-Gr 2—The night before the New Yam Festival, Anyaugo is wakened by a noise and finds a giant chicken in her kitchen. Worried that the chicken will spoil the special food that her mother and aunties prepared for the festival, Anyaugo seeks help from the Wood Wit, a nature spirit who can travel through anything made of wood. The Wood Wit teases Anyaugo a bit, telling her that she must speak to the chicken in Chickenese, '"Say buck buck CLUCK,' the Wood Wit suggested. 'But you have to say it just right!' It burst out laughing, amused with itself." Readers know what Anyaugo doesn't—that the Wood Wit has been there all along, aggravating the chicken out of Anyaugo's sight. The child summons her courage, and faces the chicken with a brave, "Hello!" The chicken smiles and the Wood Wit hums a soft drumbeat. Anyaugo realizes that this is not an ordinary chicken, but a powerful masquerade spirit visiting her ahead of the New Yam Festival. Amini's jewel-toned illustrations are richly textured, providing readers with much detail outside of the text. Sweet Anyaugo's round face perfectly expresses her changing emotions on each page, and her feline companion adorably echoes Anyaugo's feelings. VERDICT A sweet and satisfying story set in Nigeria that may inspire readers to learn more about the New Yam Festival and masquerades. A recommended general purchase for all libraries.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

School Library Journal

★ 2017-07-02
Anyaugo has a problem. A giant chicken has barged into the kitchen at night to eat and spoil all of the food Anyaugo's mother and aunties have prepared for the next day's New Yam Festival—the Igbo celebration that opens the harvest season in Nigeria. Anyaugo has been counting on or at least hoping for the help of the Wood Wit, a nature spirit that can travel through wooden objects, who knows "everything that the wood knows" and who loves to help people in difficult situations. But when the Wood Wit advises Anyaugo to tell the chicken—in Chickenese, chicken language—to leave, she begins to recognize the Wood Wit for the trickster he is. A brown-skinned round face with mischievous eyes, long arms, a broad nose, and a smile that spans its whole face, the elusive Wood Wit will arouse curiosity and make readers want to know more about this mysterious and fun-loving figure. While Okorafor immerses readers in West African culture textually, Amini does likewise visually, especially in the beautifully patterned wings of the giant chicken. When the festival finally begins, Amini gives readers a wonderful idea of what the New Yam Festival looks and feels like. Best known for her African-based fantasies (Akata Witch, 2011, etc.), Okorafor leaps into the world of picture books in a most unforgettable way with this playful, fascinating tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews