School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-A charmingly fleshed-out version of the traditional story. One morning, an acorn falls on Henny Penny's head. As she encounters various animals, she explains, "I was shaking my dustcloth this way and that, round and round, and all of a sudden the sky fell down!" Fortunately, when she and her friends are trapped in Foxy Loxy's house, she realizes the severity of their situation. Seeing "feathers on the floor," "a pile of old bones," and "a BIG pot of water on the roaring fire," she cleverly fools the gullible fox and springs them from their otherwise dire ending. Brightly colored and skillfully drawn illustrations balance perfectly with the delightful text and draw readers into their depths. Whimsical details include a napkin holder and a fork decorated with a fox head, a cookbook that has an image of a dressed fowl on the cover, and a picture of an imagined stew pot on a lit fire that is filled with all the birds surrounded by carrots and onions. Even if your library has Steven Kellogg's Chicken Little (HarperCollins, 1987), you'll want this sprightly retelling of a favorite tale. It will make a great read-aloud.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Although Windham's (The Obvious Elephant) painterly illustrations set a classical tone, French's (A Present for Mom) text grants the famous fowl a considerable intelligence upgrade. Henny Penny still believes that the sky is falling, still rallies Turkey Lurkey et al. to warn the king, and still leads her friends right into the clutches of the voracious Foxy Loxy. But once the group arrives in the lair, Henny Penny has an epiphany of sorts. Noticing the bones and feathers strewn about, the chicken deduces that they're on the menu. (Windham captures this light bulb moment in a deliciously wry spot illustration.) "Now, Henny Penny...," the clucky heroine says to herself, steeling herself for what's ahead, "You may be silly, but surely there's something you can do." And she's right. She offers to tidy up the place, and while doing so, sings a lullaby so soporific that Fox falls fast asleep and the group tiptoes away. Aside from this tip of the hat to self-actualization, however, the book comes down solidly on the side of old-fashioned storytelling. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
