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March 15, 2007
Tastes Like Chicken
[Editor's Note: This is my latest column over at the MCLS Web Site.]
“What’s the Matter Colonel Sandurz? Chicken???”
-Spaceballs
Chickens have long been a staple of children’s literature. It’s probably because they’re a standard feature on farms, an animal most children are bound to recognize. Chickens are, on another level, an odd choice. Most contemporary children have eaten more chickens than they’ve actually seen, and while chickens are often portrayed as sympathetic characters, in real life? Not so much. Personally, like the main character in one of my all-time favorite picture books about chickens, Ruler of the Courtyard, I had what I view to be a healthy and reasonable fear of domestic fowl when I was a kid. Real chickens are scary if you’re small (not as scary as geese, mind you, and don’t get me started on peacocks). Still, the same way we feel compelled to create books that tell children lies about how much they’re going to love school when they start Kindergarten, we seem unable to help ourselves from portraying chickens as delightful, fun creatures one should not run from.
All that said, I’m not afraid of poultry anymore, and 2006 was a really good year for the chicken. For example:
Big Chickens by Leslie Helakoski, illustrated by Henry Cole
Once upon a time, four big chickens see a wolf in the yard and completely overreact. They sputter, cluck, and fret so much that they bring all manner of calamity on themselves, ultimately frightening the wolf so much that he runs away. Helakoski’s text is ever-so-much fun to read with its worried overtones and lively dialog. Cole’s illustrations are, as per usual, bright and fun. He dresses his chickens – well, one looks more like a rooster to me, but I hate to judge – in great outfits and finds endless permutations of anxious expressions. A sure-fire read-aloud hit.
Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Talk about a sure-fire read-aloud hit, here’s another. When the farmer loses his watch down the well, “CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE!” Then his wife doesn’t want to cook dinner. Guess what? “CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE!” As if shouting isn’t enough fun, Himmelman’s chaotic illustrations of bunches of chickens acting, well, like chickens, are hysterical. Kids will appreciate the chaos in group readings, and they can spend some more time pouring over the delightful details when you’re reading one-on-one.
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
In this compilation, fourteen children’s book illustrators offer their pictorial answers to the perennial question. This doesn’t make much of a read-aloud and is probably best appreciated by a slightly older picture book audience, but it is oh-so-funny. Illustrators include our local Tedd Arnold as well as David Shannon (No, David!), Mo Willems (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny), and Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones). Nary a loser in the bunch.
Other worthwhile 2006 releases featuring chickens include I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Idakite and illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite, Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri, and Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon. Check them out and cluck on.
Posted by adrienne at March 15, 2007 10:51 PM
Comments
Posted by: wplmom at March 16, 2007 06:54 PM
Now I have added it to my bloglines....
Posted by: adrienne at March 16, 2007 09:53 PM