Cranky Chicken

A curmudgeonly chicken and sprightly worm become unlikely BFFs ("Best Feathered Friends") in this likable early reader comic in five parts by Battersby (Trouble). With a bold red unibrow and "cranky scratchy feet," Cranky Chicken opens the story grumbling. Grumpily kicking at a leaf, the fowl unintentionally frees Speedy, a plump, teal worm, stuck underneath. Speedy, whose bubbly demeanor is the antithesis of Cranky's, sees the chicken as a hero who has vanquished "the evil leaf"--and through cheerful persistence cracks the crabby hen's tough facade. ("So you like me? Even though I'm cranky?" asks the "Queen of Crank." "Especially because you're cranky," Speedy replies.) United by their prior inexperience with friendship, the pair spend later sections sharing secrets, attempting flight (with Speedy as "wing worm"), and generally learning to support one another. Interspersed are paneled round-ups, including possibilities for why a chicken might really cross the road, a tutorial on how to be cranky, and "famous dirt drawings" of "Speedy: the fastest draw in the West." In pale jewel tones, Battersby's simple panels feel breezy and contemporary; the comic companionship she develops between two complete opposites couldn't be more endearing. Ages 6--9. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Sept.)

Even a cranky chicken can have a good time with a friend. Chicken is cranky. She has cranky feet, a cranky beak, and a cranky unibrow, a dour, horizontal red line half-concealing her cranky eyes. What is she to do when a cheerful, zippy worm insists on being her BFF? Speedy the worm is anything but cranky--even their eyebrows are cheerful. (Speedy, who volunteers to be Chicken's "wing man" or "wing woman," doesn't seem picky about gender.) The worm is adamant that the two should learn how to handle friendship together. Over the course of five chapters, the pair become best buds. Speedy never insists that Chicken change, or even that the crankiness means something bad. In fact, the worm even takes crankiness lessons so the two can share some crank together. When expressive hugger Speedy dons their cranky pants and mimics Chicken's flat, irritable unibrow, it's clear the two are made for each other; Speedy makes Chicken feel "that thing when you're not cranky," supplying "Happy?" to Chicken with enthusiasm. Delightful, simply illustrated panels are packed with expressive motion and silliness. Speech (set in a faux handwritten type) sometimes overflows speech bubbles in a way that feels more accidental than stylized, and on one occasion low color contrasts make some difficult to trace to the speaker. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Will make even the crankiest reader feel that thing that's not cranky. (Happy!) (Graphic early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.