The chicken-chasing queen of Lamar County

Janice N. Harrington

Book - 2007

A young farm girl tries to catch her favorite chicken, until she learns something about the hen that makes her change her ways.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Harringt Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2007.
Language
English
Main Author
Janice N. Harrington (-)
Other Authors
Shelley Jackson (illustrator)
Edition
1st ed
Item Description
"Melanie Kroupa Books."
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm
ISBN
9780374312510
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Harrington, whose Going North (2004) was named a Booklist Top of the List--Picture Book, offers another winning book. I'm the Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, announces a young African American girl. Gray-haired Big Mama warns her to leave the birds alone, but the girl can't restrain herself: the chase is too much fun, and the elusive Miss Hen is her ultimate prize. When the girl finally manages to sneak up on Miss Hen in the grass, she discovers her prize surrounded by chicks, and the girl instantly reforms: I know you're a mama now . . . . I won't trouble your babies. Both words and pictures elevate a simple story about a girl's sly barnyard game into a rollicking, well-told delight. The words are both colloquial and poetic, and Harrington perfectly balances the tense strategizing and stalking (I sneaky-hide behind Big Mama's wheelbarrow and make myself small, small, small ) as well as the gentle caring that follows. Jackson's exceptional collages of cut paper, fabric, and paint magnify both the feather-flying action and the characters' emotions, including the loving bond between the girl and Big Mama. Kids will easily feel the irresistible allure of a subversive game as well as the deep bond with an animal friend. A first-rate read-aloud. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2007 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

creatively visual language, the pigtailed girl describes Miss Hen, her favorite prey: "Her feathers are shiny as a rained-on roof. She has high yellow stockings and long-fingered feet, and when she talks-`Pruck! Pruck! Pruck!'-it sounds like pennies falling on a dinner plate." But this hen is too speedy for the child to catch. When Miss Hen disappears, the youngster checks possible hiding places and finally finds her in tall grass, sitting on a nest of eggs with three newly hatched chicks by her side. Protecting her brood, the still hen is hers for the snatching, but the wise girl tells her not to worry: "I know you're a mama now. You're doing what you need to do. I won't trouble your babies." Now, instead of chasing the chickens, the child diligently feeds Miss Hen and her 12 chicks, vowing that, when those babies grow up, she will teach them "to run so fast that no one will ever catch them-not even a chicken chaser like me!" Jackson's (The Old Woman and the Wave) sunny, mixed-media collage art inventively combines variegated patterns, textures and photos (the especially dashing Miss Hen is a brightly hued patchwork bird) and conveys the young heroine's boundless energy. Lively chicken chat-much of it presented in collage-makes this a spirited read-aloud. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-In this delightful story about life on a farm, an African-American youngster is determined to become the best chicken chaser ever, although Big Mama repeatedly asks her to leave the animals alone. Despite the girl's best efforts, her favorite chicken, Miss Hen, always manages to escape. As the summer days wear on, she finally finds Miss Hen's hiding spot in the tall green grass. She is sitting on a nest with "fuzzy chicks cuddling tight beneath her wing," and although it would be easy to grab her, the child makes a more mature decision and resists the temptation. Harrington uses exceptionally colorful and descriptive language throughout the tale. Miss Hen has feathers as "shiny as a rained-on roof" and is as "plump as a Sunday purse." Her calls sound "like pennies falling on a dinner plate." Jackson's intriguing collages, combining printed cloth with painterly brushstrokes, will have readers lingering over the pages. The birds' feathers are fashioned out of different materials, including fabric, marker pen on loose-leaf paper, newsprint, and lace. Shifting perspectives capture the thrill of the chase as well as the calm of quieter moments. The youngster's face clearly expresses determination, understanding, and pride. This book makes a marvelously delicious read-aloud, accompanied by participatory "prucks" and "squawks" from the audience.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (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

(Primary) A young African American girl takes great pride in her chicken-chasing skills, but swift and smart as she is, one chicken continues to elude her: Miss Hen, with feathers as ""shiny as a rained-on roof."" The self-proclaimed ""chicken-chasing Queen"" tries a number of different strategies, but Miss Hen is a worthy opponent, and with a ""pah-quawkkkkk!"" she gets away every time, feathers flying. The little girl's exuberant pursuit comes to a halt, though, when she discovers Miss Hen's secret nest of just-hatched chicks and mends her ways -- temporarily. It's unusual (and refreshing) to see a picture book with a female main character so gleefully and unrepentantly naughty, but Harrington never lets the game cross the line into cruelty. Jackson's collage illustrations match the text and sound effects perfectly, sharing the same zest and energy. She blends pieces of printed papers and fabrics as well as photographs and other items into paintings that bleed expansively out to the edges. Her warm portrayal of the little girl conveys a powerful personality matched only by that of Miss Hen herself, seen on the back cover bragging, ""Pruck! Pruck! She'll never catch me!"" This funny story will have city kids longing for the chance to chase (and/or nurture) some chickens themselves. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. 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

Never has the expression, "feathers will fly" been as aptly illustrated as in this vivacious story of an African-American farm girl who loves nothing more than chasing chickens. Every morning, the self-appointed queen tells tales to gray-haired Big Mama and heads outside to pursue her prey. The story details the joy--and strategy--of the chase in playfully poetic prose: "Then I sneaky-hide behind Big Mama's wheelbarrow and make myself small, small, small." The girl's favorite victim, the elusive Miss Hen, gets a break when her tormentor discovers she's now a nesting mother with fuzzy chicks, a heartwarming development that reforms the once-insatiable chicken-chaser . . . at least temporarily. Harrington's soothingly rhythmic first-person storytelling is just right for reading aloud. Jackson's delightful collages, patched with photos of colorful fabric and other everyday objects, capture the kinetic frenzy of chickens from a variety of unusual perspectives. Cut-out letters and spelling variations on "squawk" add occasional Vladimir Radunsky-style flair, though there's nothing cartoonish about the realistic, wonderfully expressive faces of Big Mama and her charge. Contented clucks all around. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.