Chicken Lily

by Lori Mortensen, Nina Victor Crittenden (Illustrator)

Overview

Chicken Lily may be a lot of things—a careful colorer, a patient puzzler, and a quiet hide-and-seeker (she never made a peep!)—but brave has never been one of them. That's why, when a school-wide poetry jam is announced in class, Lily is terrified. Will she sound like a bird brain?

Although Lily's friends Baabette and Pigsley try to encourage her, Lily feels like a rotten egg. Finally, Lily realizes that she must put her best claw forward and prove that even chickens aren't chicken all the time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250115980
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	70 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lori Mortensen has written over 70 books. An award-winning writer for children, she is best known for books including Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg and Cindy Moo. She and her family live in Northern California.

Nina Victor Crittenden is a new talent who has illustrated Cedric and the Dragon, written by Elizabeth Raum. She and her family live in Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

12/07/2015
Lily, a fearful fowl, still uses training wheels, never raises her hand in class (even when she knows the answer), and won’t try new foods at lunch. “Lily wasn’t taking any chances,” writes Mortensen (Cowboy Clyde and Dirty Dawg). When Lily’s teacher announces a poetry slam, Lily does everything she can to not take part, declaring her home “a poem-free zone” and showing her teacher a long to-do list that includes such items as “Feather my nest” and “Put all my eggs in one basket.” Finally, Lily decides that “writing a poem was sort of like putting together a puzzle,” and while she can’t totally escape stage fright, she’s able to recite her poem without a hitch. Mortensen gooses this story of newfound confidence through the liberal use of chicken-themed wordplay (“She wished she could fly the coop”; “Lily nearly molted”), but her obvious didactic intentions, coupled with Crittenden’s (Cedric and the Dragon) flat, straight-on drawings may hold the attention of only the very youngest readers. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Liza Voges, Eden Street Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The watercolor, pen, and ink illustrations are large and, well, cute. Lily's classmates are all friendly and happy, and Lily's face is expressive. VERDICT A good choice for schools and public libraries." - School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
K-Gr 2—Lily is literally and figuratively a chicken. The timid chick will only ride her bike with training wheels, never raises her wing in class, and refuses to try anything new. Filled with seamlessly incorporated poultry puns and idioms, the story follows Lily as she tries to get out of participating in her class's poetry jam. "What if she sounded like a complete birdbrain? What if she fell flat on her beak? What if she laid an egg?" When she can't avoid it any longer, Lily gets down to business and writes her poem, but will she find the courage to read it out loud? On the surface, this is a slight story about overcoming fear and trying new things. However, the wordplay makes this title a good choice for classroom use as well. The watercolor, pen, and ink illustrations are large and, well, cute. Lily's classmates are all friendly and happy, and Lily's face is expressive. VERDICT A good choice for schools and public libraries.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

School Library Journal

2015-11-17
Lily the chicken is chicken. Lily the plump, yellow chick is a good colorer (always between the lines) and is patient at working puzzles. She's a pro at hide-and-seek (she never makes a peep). However, she won't take the training wheels off her bike or try new foods at lunch, and she never raises her hand in class, even when she knows the answer. When the teacher announces a poetry slam, all Lily's barnyard friends are excited to read their poems on stage; Lily is terrified. She's too scared to tell Mrs. Lop about her stage fright, so she's on the bill, but that doesn't help her with her writer's block. It's not until she considers how much worse it would be to be onstage without anything to read that Lily writes her poem. Facing her fear makes her a slightly less chicken chicken. Mortensen's tale of timid poultry fearing poetry rises above other fear-of-the-new titles when its protagonist tackles her own anxiety instead of taking direction from an outside source. Young listeners will identify with her fears. Crittenden's slightly anthropomorphic farm folk, rendered in watercolors, are a smiling and supportive if slightly generic group. Touches of humor, verbal and visual, make Lily's baby step toward bravery believable and replicable. Nice addition to storytimes and good bibliotherapy for anyone who's a little chicken. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews