Review by Booklist Review
Little Chick tries out various activities with his mother to determine if the love she has expressed for him has any limits. Each activity making a funny face, getting muddy, losing a race elicits the same promise of undying, unconditional love. Little Chick goes a bit too far, though, when he chirps loudly and ignores Mother's requests for quiet. He's shocked when she shouts at him and is convinced she doesn't love him until she explains that even though his actions sometimes make her angry, she'll love him anyway. Soft watercolor-and-ink illustrations, many of which fill the page, perfectly enhance the sweetness inherent in the text. Pair this with books like Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You (1994) and Susan Milford's A Mother's Promise (2008).--Enos, Randall Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Through a series of tests-deliberate and not-a chick becomes almost totally convinced that his mother's affections are unshakable. Then, provoked by her son's almost manic cheeping, his mother momentarily loses it, and Little Chick is himself shaken. The mother hen repairs the breach with some unconditional reassurance ("Sometimes you make me mad, and sometimes you make me sad, but no matter what you say or do, I will always love you") and with that surefire parenting trick, the funny face. Working in warm, translucent watercolors and velvety black outlines, Fearnley (previously paired with Willis for Never Too Little to Love) gives her characters an endearing depth of expression and personality. The hen's beady eyes beam with pride and bemusement at her spunky, downy offspring, and when the chick loses a race, his mother comforts him with a pat of her wing and a look that is fully empathetic even as it conveys "this too shall pass." These highly individuated scenes of barnyard domesticity considerably buoy an otherwise predictable tribute to the constancy of mother love, while the large-scale watercolors on outsize pages let readers appreciate every nuance. Ages 3-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-In this picture book with a tried-and-true theme, a chick repeatedly asks his mother whether she loves him. Her answer is reassuring even when he makes a funny face, jumps in a mud puddle, or loses a race. Then, when his happy chirping gets louder and louder and her pleas for quiet go ignored, she shouts at him, and Chick runs away. When she finds him, she tells him that although he sometimes makes her mad, and sometimes sad, her love remains steadfast. And when she makes a funny face, Chick returns the sentiments. Luminous watercolor-and-ink illustrations capture the tender, sometimes taut, interplay between mother and child. Their expressions are priceless, particularly Little Chick's exuberance when he knows he is loved and his sadness when his mother yells at him. Children will respond to this read-aloud.-Anne Parker, Milton Public Library, MA (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
No matter what Little Chick says or does, whether he is good or bad, his mommy reassures him that she will always love him. Expansive double-page watercolor spreads of a brown feathered hen and her sometimes concerned, mostly happy yellow chick paint a comforting (if familiar) picture of a parent's unconditional love. (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
Yet another entry in the how-much-do-you-love-me genre with a helpful addition toward the end. The sweet story of the chick questioning his mom about how far her love will go (if I've lost a race, if I've gotten dirty, etc.) has the usual elements of this picture-book genre. The ending does add to the pantheon by having the chick act out enough that his mother gets frustrated and yells at him. Frightened, he runs and hides. His mommy finds him and they question each other about the extent of their love for each other. Chick talks about how he sometimes gets angry with his mom but still loves her. Fearnley's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are colorful, funny and convey a sense of forward momentum and all-encompassing affection. The themes of love and forgiveness aided by the lovely illustrations help this addition rise to the top of the genre. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
