Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003571737 | Picture Books | DAPIER | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Interrupting Chicken meets Click, Clack, Moo in this zany classic-in-the-making!
With rollicking rhythms, nonsensical refrains, and too many chickens to count, this modern classic will inspire unstoppable giggles and endless rereads. Bawka-bawka!
Mr. Watson has 456 chickens in the sink, on the bed, in the bread box. When his partner, Mr. Nelson, threatens to leave, Mr. Watson takes his chickens to town to sell only for them to escape! Young readers will follow Mr. Watson all around town as he gathers up his chickens. But, when they're all rounded up, does he have the heart to sell them? Does a different fate await these chickens?
This quirky, irresistible book is full of read-aloud fun with its onomatopoeia, rollicking rhythm, and familiar refrains and ends with a touch of sweetness. It has all the makings of a classic, with a farm theme, hilarious refrains, and a familiar narrative structure that unfolds in threes. Librarians, teachers, and parents looking for a new book that feels traditional will love sharing this book with children.
A JOY TO REREAD: This is a very classic-feeling storybook. Paired with its funny farm setting and hilarious refrains, this book is sure to inspire countless rereads and endless giggles.
PERFECT READ-ALOUD: This book is full of nonsensical sounds and repetition that make it fun to read out loud and invite audience participation. It's a perfect choice for classroom events and laptime reads.
LIKE CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM, WITH CHICKENS!: With its bouncy refrains and rollicking rhythms, this book will remind readers of classic bestsellers like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
REALISTIC RELATIONSHIP UNUSUAL IN PICTURE BOOKS: This book features a gay couple at its center, but doesn't call specific attention to it. It simply portrays a healthy relationship between two men (and their chickens!).
WRITTEN BY A NEW TALENT WHO REALLY UNDERSTANDS KIDS: This is Jarret Dapier's first book! He's a popular, award-winning teen librarian who works with kids, knows what they like, and is well-versed in the rhythms of the classic children's book--and he has many more stories up his sleeves.
DELIGHTFUL, DETAILED DRAWINGS OF OVER 400 CHICKENS!: With hundreds of chickens to find and scenes crammed with action and detail, the pages of this book are chock-full of things to look at. Young readers will spend hours poring over each spread.
Perfect for: parents, families looking for LGBTQIA+ stories, fans of funny books
Author Notes
Jarrett Dapier is a teen services librarian at Skokie Public Library just outside of Chicago. He is the recipient of the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award for Intellectual Freedom from the American Library Association for his research into the censorship of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis in the Chicago Public Schools. He plays the drums, most notably while dressed as a skeleton at the White House for one of President Obama's Halloween celebrations. He does not own any chickens. Yet. This is his first book.
Andrea Tsurumi (they/them) is an author, illustrator, and cartoonist originally from New York, who now lives and draws in Philadelphia. The creator of Accident!, Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together , and numerous comics, they also illustrate children's books, news articles, and book covers. When they're not inventing croissant-based animals, they like reading about ordinary and ridiculous history.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson fill their "big, honking house" with love and animals--especially chickens. When their "handful" of chickens quickly balloons to over 400, things become challenging for everyone involved. With chickens in their dinner, in the bathtub, and in Mr. Nelson's boots, they have finally become too much. It is time for the chickens to find a new home. But what will Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson's house be like once all the chaos is removed? Animal lovers and empty nesters will appreciate the delightful antics within this story. Short, accessible text makes this book enjoyable for young readers, especially as a lap read. Comical illustrations, including cross-sections to show the chaos inside the home, depict the many hundreds of chickens playing instruments and causing all manner of ruckus. Mr. Watson, who is white with brown hair, and Mr. Nelson, who has black hair and presents as Asian, are a couple, interacting in loving ways even when the chickens overstep their bounds and make life difficult for them. Light, pastel shades are used throughout the story, and one picture in particular is reminiscent of Where's Waldo, inviting readers to look more closely to find the missing element. Readers who are patient enough to examine the illustrations carefully will be rewarded with surprising and humorous moments outside the primary narrative. VERDICT This book suits early elementary school-aged readers and is an inclusive and humorous look at what happens when life becomes overwhelming and requires a reset.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Animals creating mayhem deliver rousing readalouds, and Dapier (Jazz for Lunch!) and Tsurumi (I'm on It!) here drive this story element to its riotous extreme. Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson share a lime green "big, honking house with a teeny tiny yard in a big, honking city." Mr. Watson, who reads as white, keeps animals, and East Asian--appearing Mr. Nelson does the cooking. But when Mr. Watson's trio of chickens somehow rockets to 456, the flock takes over the household. Tsurumi conveys the chaos with several densely populated spreads featuring hundreds of chickens rehearsing dance routines, playing dress-up, and swinging from the chandeliers; meticulous draftsmanship makes the wonderfully frenetic activity both clear and absorbing. When red hen Aunt Agnes's incessantly repeated song ("Shooby-doo,/ wonky-pow,/ bawka-bawka/ in da chow-chow") starts to get under Mr. Nelson's skin, Mr. Watson is oblivious. Behind the lively comedy, there's a romantic relationship in trouble, until a tender embrace reveals that "Mr. Watson loved his chickens, but he loved Mr. Nelson more." Subtle background portraits of Tove Jansson as well as Frog and Toad gently hint at the history of queer creators in children's literature, while the carousing chickens draw most of the attention--and all of the laughs. Ages 3--5. Author's agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator's agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Oct.)