Review by Booklist Review
With his signature verve, the author-illustrator of the 2006 Theodor Suess Geisel Honor Book Hi! Fly Guy (2005),\b and many others, folds a satisfying brainteaser into an original folktale starring a slaphappy cast of bug-eyed chickens. Arnold was inspired by a riddle he learned from his father: if the winning rider in a race is the one whose horse is last rather than first, won't the race inevitably come to an impasse? The context is a real race between twin princes--one a good egg, the other rotten to the yolk--who are vying to inherit their father's kingdom. Newcomers to the riddle probably will not anticipate the answer, as they are encouraged to do by the text, but it doesn't really matter. The problem and its solution are clearly presented, and there are plenty of clever touches to engage kids and grown-ups alike--from a text stuffed with poultry puns (Don't you know where you stand in the pecking order? ) to small, smart furtherings of the chicken theme in the cheerful watercolor-and-colored-pencil artwork; at one point, the royal hunt's quarry is depicted as a worm rather than the more traditional fox. This book will have everyone chuckling at the starting gate--and thinking all the way to the finish line. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Arnold (Hi! Fly Guy) concocts a good-twin/bad-twin rivalry in this tale of rooster princes and a dispute over the royal throne. In the setup, a hen-nursemaid recalls the story to two yellow chicks, promising a riddle before its resolution. As the hen tells it, King Chanticleer is uncertain about which of his twin sons is his rightful heir. "Their mother, the queen, had died while birthing Henry and Fowler. In the confusion and grief after her death, the poor midwife lost track of which prince was born first." Now Henry (always in a purple cape, on a white steed) and Fowler (who wears orange and rides a palomino) have come of age, though they could not have developed more differently. In the cockerels' horse races, Fowler callously knocks down peasants in his way, yanks Henry's cloak and sickens his brother's horse-with henbane, of course. In a parade, friendly Henry waves his wing as sneering Fowler hoists a sword. Thus readers fear the worst when the king, injured in a worm-hunting accident, proposes a horse race to settle the inheritance matter, though he adds a last-minute twist that becomes the source of the riddle. Arnold, who amusingly imagines the castle as a combination of fortress and big red barn, plays on the chicken theme while creating real suspense. Using his signature warm watercolor palette and fizzy colored-pencil squiggles, he draws hyperbolic characters with spherical eyes, oversize yellow beaks, red combs and royal garb. In all, Arnold crafts a satisfying fairy-tale puzzle that should invite rereading for both comedy and clues. Ages 4-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Arnold characterizes the good and bad twin princes and their like-minded horses in this featherbrained tale in which Old King Chanticleer decides that his successor will be determined by a horse race and a riddle. Verbal puns-"You crossed the road to help me" and "Last one back is a rotten egg"-gain significance when the cast is made up of players complete with waddles and beaks. Listeners are encouraged to solve the riddle and prompted with visual clues and verbal urging: "Last chance-." Arnold's stylized art with bold outlines, colored-pencil curlicues, and watercolor washes is most recognizable for the expressive googly eyes-something that might be duplicated with golf balls in 3-D. The book is fun, but the nuances might be lost on a young audience.-Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
To decide which of the twin princes, Henry or Fowler, should inherit the throne, King Chanticleer arranges a horse race with an unusual twist--the brother whose horse is the last to cross the finish line will gain the crown. The ""riddle"" in this tale of sibling rivalry is clever; the cartoon illustrations are humorous. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Replete with poultry-related double entendres and (in the pictures, at least) popeyed, rubber-legged steeds, this tale of sibling rivalry offers plenty of chuckles--even if the climactic twist is too contrived to be credible. Injured during a hunt and unsure which of his twin sons was born first, King Chanticleer announces a race, with his crown to go to the one whose horse finishes last. This odd provision really ruffles the feathers of aggressive Fowler, who's used to having his way over the kinder, gentler Henry and has already poisoned his brother's horse in expectation of a more conventional race. Arnold repeatedly warns that there's a "riddle" (more of a poser, really) coming up, and even tucks in an old peddler woman to provide additional hints. As it happens, both princes end up standing before the finish line, waiting for the other to go ahead. How to solve the dilemma? Read and see. Presented as a tale being told to Henry's royal chicks by their nanny, it won't outpace "The Tortoise and the Hare," and other versions of the folktale, but readers won't have any trouble staying the course. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
