New readers and new gardeners alike will cluck with pleasure at the adventures of Earl and Pearl. Earl and Pearl want to grow pumpkins, so they set off, seed packet and shovel in hand, to begin their new garden. Pesky Chicken wants in on the fun, but the kids just shoo her off, over and over. When grasshoppers take up residence in the pumpkin patch, Chicken shows that she is good for something after all. Familiar easy-to-decode and sight words make this an ideal book for the newest reader. The repeated “Shoo! Shoo!” and “Cluck! Cluck!” add to the action, ensuring laughter and reading success. A generous font, very short sentences and careful text placement make this a notch better than most books for the very beginning reader. Truesdell’s familiar and amusing illustrations perfectly reflect the spirit of the story of a boy (a boy of color!), a girl and a chicken, tending to their pumpkins. (Picture book. 4-6)
