Review by Booklist Review
Barnyard living makes for strange bedfellows, as Pip the chick and Pup the dog discover to their ultimate satisfaction in this wordless picture book. Pip struggles humorously as he hatches from his egg, revealing his feisty, determined character. When he spies a puppy asleep under the tractor, he is all over him pecking Pup on the nose to awaken him for playtime. At the first bark, Pip dashes away, startling a wide-eyed goat and bewildered cow. Undaunted, Pip cowers in his broken eggshell during a rainstorm and then cleverly turns the bottom into a boat and the top into a rain hat, paddling through puddles to seek out the reluctant Pup once again. When he offers his top eggshell to Pup, the friendship is cemented. Children will delight in the whimsical pictures of the resilient and clever chick, discouraged by no obstacle. Yelchin's quirky illustrations in pastel colors and graphite are delightful. His characters' expressive faces and bodies create a story which needs no words to convey their lively friendship.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This wordless tale of friendship sparkles with engaging action and gentle humor. Pip, a bright-eyed chick, wiggles and scoots out of a just-cracked shell, emerging to survey the barnyard. Spying Pup peacefully snoozing under a tractor, Pip heads over and pecks the pooch on the nose. An exuberant chase ensues, with Pip running hither and yon before finding refuge back inside the bottom half of the shell. When a storm rolls in, the clever chick uses the other half as a rain hat, and eventually shares the shell with Pup, who is once again huddled beneath the tractor trying to stay dry. As the clouds clear and the sun emerges, the two play a merry game, with Pup placing the halves on head, tail, and nose, until the shell, alas, is accidentally crushed. Never fear, Pup is more than willing to share a bright green tennis ball, and the two friends are ready for more fun. The collage artwork, rich with springtime hues and eye-pleasing textures, vividly depicts the action, and dynamic lines and expressive details create strong characterizations for the protagonists. VERDICT Kids will enjoy poring over the pictures for visual clues, interpreting the events, and imagining future adventures for this appealing duo.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs © Copyright 2018. 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
In this simple, well-paced, and funny wordless picture book about a new friendship, a just-hatched chick sets off to explore the barnyard. Pips initial encounters are stressfulfirst chased by a puppy and then almost stepped on by huge cows and humansand the little chick retreats back to the egg it hatched from, finding security inside the shells two halves. Then rain begins to fall, complete with thunder and lightningand Pip sees that the puppy is miserable and afraid. Compassionately, Pip tries to protect the (much larger) Pup, offering one half of the eggshell as shelter (hey, it worked for Pip!). With this bond established and the sun coming out, the two new friends play exuberantly togethertoo exuberantly, it transpires, as in all the excitement Pup accidentally smashes Pips eggshell to smithereens. But Pup knows what to do: offer a tennis ball to play with. Yelchins visual humor here is spot-on for preschoolers; his wordless storytelling is flawless; and his palette of spring colors and use of colored pencils and oil pastels on highly textured paper bring life and energy to the page. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2018. 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 newly hatched chick befriends a beagle puppy in this humorous, wordless picture book set outdoors on a farm. The baby chick, identified as Pip in the title, hatches on the first page, emerging over the course of a series of six vignettes in a progressive illustration that sets the tone for the amusing expressions on the faces of the two main characters throughout the story. Pip immediately looks for a companion and spies a beagle puppy sleeping under a tractor. What happens when a chick pecks at a sleeping dog's nose? Pup explodes with loud barks, and Pip runs right back to safety in the empty eggshell halves. There Pip shelters during a sudden thunderstorm. Pup is afraid of the thunder, so Pip offers one half of the eggshell as a rain hat for Pup. The two characters begin to play with the shells, and friendship and morning dawn at the same time. When Pup accidentally shatters the eggshells, the dog fetches a green ball, rolling it to Pip in a friendly gesture. The concluding page is open-ended, with Pip standing next to the ball, conveying possibilities that await readers' interpretation (or a sequel). Charmingly varied illustrations with soft, cheery colors and speckled textures display a gamut of emotions from abject loneliness to blissful companionship.A delightful tale that invites interpretation and almost demands giggles at the antics of the expressive chick and puppy. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
