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CHICKENS! CHICKENS!

Name: CHICKENS! CHICKENS!
Author: Barbara Ann Porte
ISBN: 0-531-06877-3

by Barbara Ann Porte & illustrated by Greg Henry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1995

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The Guyanese artist's monochrome chicken silhouettes inspired this exuberant tale of a painter with but one subject—chickens. No one buys his work in the country, because chickens are too familiar there; he can't sell in the city for the opposite reason- -but he meets a young woman in an art supply store, she admires his paintings, and soon they're back on the farm, raising children— and, of course, chickens. Prosperity quickly ensues when the painter's wife opens a store, selling paintings and pillows stuffed with chicken feathers, ``Genuine folk art,'' enthuse their customers. That comment injects an arch note into an otherwise good-humored story. Henry paints in a primitive style, using vibrant, high contrast colors and little shading or blending. His dark-skinned human figures are often smaller than the very freely shaped poultry that dashes and tumbles across every page. Porte's storytelling and Henry's art make an irresistible combination, next to which Dunrea's elegant The Painter Who Loved Chickens (FSG, 1995) seems formal and a bit remote. (Picture Book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-531-06877-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orchard

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1995

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAUTY AND THE SERPENT
by Barbara Ann Porte & illustrated by Rosemary Feit Covey

- BOOK REVIEW
MA JIANG AND THE ORANGE ANTS
by Barbara Ann Porte & illustrated by Annie Cannon

- BOOK REVIEW
IF YOU EVER GET LOST
by Barbara Ann Porte & illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE BEST CHEF IN SECOND GRADE

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

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An impending school visit by a celebrity chef sends budding cook Ollie into a tailspin. He and his classmates are supposed to bring a favorite family food for show and tell, but his family doesn’t have a clear choice—besides, his little sister Rosy doesn’t like much of anything. What to do? As in their previous two visits to Room 75, Kenah builds suspense while keeping the tone light, and Carter adds both bright notes of color and familiar home and school settings in her cartoon illustrations. Eventually, Ollie winkles favorite ingredients out of his clan, which he combines into a mac-and-cheese casserole with a face on top that draws delighted praise from the class’s renowned guest. As Ollie seems to do his kitchen work without parental assistance, a cautionary tip or two (and maybe a recipe) might not have gone amiss here, but the episode’s mouthwatering climax and resolution will guarantee smiles of contentment all around. (Easy reader. 6-7)