Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When a gust of wind sweeps a coal-black chicken named Peggy away from her quiet and predictable suburban life and into the city, she rapidly adjusts to her new surroundings: "Peggy landed with a soft thud. She was far from home. She picked herself up, ruffled her feathers, and went for a walk. Peggy saw things she had never seen before." Walker creates a gorgeous, rain-washed cityscape, inhabited by anonymous figures in muted colors and photo-collaged images of passing buildings; the lone chicken, walking confidently within the crowd, receives only casual attention. Humorous spot illustrations show Peggy's many urban sojourns, including getting sprayed by a water fountain, catching a movie, eating pasta, and inspecting a pair of polka-dot underwear at a "Bargain Sale." A familiar sight helps her find her way back to her own yard. Originally published in Australia, Walker's story speaks to the ways traveling can change a person (or a chicken) and expand one's worldview, particularly when one has a home to come back to. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Peggy the hen likes her routine. When a windstorm blows her out of her decorative suburban chicken coop, she has to adjust to the unfamiliar sights and sounds of a busy city. She tries on shoes, eats popcorn at the movie theater, and makes a cozy nest in a furniture store. Although she isn't able to communicate with anyone in the crowds, Peggy eventually finds her way back home by following the trail of a bouquet of sunflowers and, later, a flock of pigeons. Walker's ink and photo collage illustrations are dreamlike in appearance. Admirers of Janet Morgan Stoeke's "Minerva Louise" books (Dutton) will relish the chance to meet another charming chicken.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Peggy the chicken spends her days eating, performing acrobatics on a trampoline, and watching pigeons. When one day a big gust of wind transports her from her suburban backyard home to the big city, she is certainly a chicken out of the coop. But Peggy is resilient and unfazed despite the change of scenery, exploring her new human-filled surroundings by strutting up and down rainy city streets discovering such things as electronics, tasty-looking food, and even a comfortable chair. When Peggy feels homesick, she follows some sunflowers "like the one in her yard" onto a train back to the 'burbs and, with a little help from the pigeons, finds her way home, where life returns almost to normal. Australian artist Walker's ink and photo collage art is full of nice touches: she captures Peggy's daily routine in Polaroid snapshots; she adds photo collage to the city scenes; the water blots in the colored ink connect with the rainy weather; and many other clever details in the art add levity to the story. The subtle color palette remains constant, regardless of Peggy's surroundings, exuding a calm throughout that is emulated by the varied illustration formats, the text, and Peggy herself. Similar in concept to Elisha Cooper's Beaver Is Lost (rev. 7/10) and with the same indomitable spirit as Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken (rev. 11/08) by Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss, Peggy is the relatable story of an unusual hen who enriches her life by stepping outside her comfort zone. cynthia k. ritter (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A charmer of a chicken has a big adventure in this import from Australia. Peggy is a hen contented with her life in a sweet, small (hen)house that occupies the sunflower-bedecked yard of a suburban home. Understated text reveals her daily routine of breakfast, play in the backyard and pigeon watching, and accompanying ink-andphoto-collage illustrations humorously depict her eating from a bowl, jumping on a trampoline and gazing at pigeons. The little hen meets a challenge when a gust of wind sends her sailing off the trampoline, out of the safety of her yard and into a bustling city. A stunning wordless spread that doubles as cover art then shows her walking amid a crowd of pedestrians, umbrellas aloft. "Peggy watched, hopped, jumped, twirled, and tasted," and droll art expands on these simple verbs with delightful vignettes. In keeping with the classic home-away-home plot arc, Peggy grows homesick and hopefully follows a city dweller carrying sunflowers like those from her yard. Forlorn when this plan fails, she is heartened by the appearance of pigeons who helpfully shepherd her home. In a pitch-perfect resolution, Peggy resumes her routine, but instead of just watching the pigeons, she now chats with them, and the final page turn assures readers that she sometimes catches "the train to the city." Here's hoping that Peggy has many more big adventures. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
