Chicken Lily

Reviewed by: Patti Francis - Pownal Elementary School, Pownal, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 7, 2016

Review

Careful, patient and shy, Chicken Lily is good at a lot of things, like coloring, putting puzzles together and playing hide-and-seek. But when it comes to taking chances, like trying new foods or raising her hand in class, Chicken Lily is a chicken. So when her teacher, Mrs. Lop announces a whole class poetry jam, Chicken Lily starts making excuses to get out of it. However, with patience and kindness from Mrs. Lop and poetic encouragement from her friends, Chicken Lily faces her fears and becomes a little bit braver. Mortensen uses clever wordplay to brings humor and gentleness to the story, making it relatable to young readers. Crittenden’s soft, calming pastel illustrations, created in watercolors, pen and ink, match Lily’s careful, gentle personality perfectly. The puns and wordplay as well as the theme of overcoming your fears makes this book ideal for a classroom read-aloud. Recommended for pre K-2nd grade.

Overall Book Score: very good