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Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri — book cover

Five Little Chicks

by Nancy Tafuri
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Overview

With squirms and squeals, five chicks scratch around the farmyard to find their breakfast. One by one, the chicks stumble upon the most unusual snacks—from a fuzzy butterfly to a shiny trout in the farm pond. Fortunately, Mama Hen is right there to point them back in the right direction. Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Nancy Tafuri matches a bouncing, rhyming text and simple counting lesson to warm, sunny illustrations, making this a perfect book for any mama and her brood.

Sweet and springy illustrations will delight readers as the text counts from one to five little chicks. The Classic Board Book logo calls out this title's concept of counting on the front cover.

Synopsis


With squirms and squeals, five chicks scratch around the farmyard to find their breakfast. One by one, the chicks stumble upon the most unusual snacks--from a fuzzy butterfly to a shiny trout in the farm pond. Fortunately, Mama Hen is right there to point them back in the right direction. Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Nancy Tafuri matches a bouncing, rhyming text and simple counting lesson to warm, sunny illustrations, making this a perfect book for any mama and her brood.

Sweet and springy illustrations will delight readers as the text counts from one to five little chicks. The Classic Board Book logo calls out this title's concept of counting on the front cover.

Publishers Weekly

Mama Hen knows best. When her five newborn chicks are hungry, they eye delicacies too big for their diminutive stomachs. The first fluffy yellow chick "with a little squirm,/ spied a fat wiggly worm." The fifth chick, "with a little pout,/ saw a long shiny trout." But the hen, a striking matriarch with burnished orange feathers and a bright red hood and wattle, firmly steers her brood's attention to the corn patch, where they can "scratch, scratch, scratch" until the sun goes down. "Let's not make a peep!" admonishes Mama Hen as her chicks tuck under her feathery girth after a hard day's pecking. "It's time to snuggle and cuddle and sleep." This simple little story proves once again why Tafuri (I Love You, Little One) is a favorite with youngsters. Her full-bleed spreads exude a sense of artistic generosity: the tiny details within the large inviting shapes, and her sunny colors invite children to savor the action. Big, bold typography, a simple text and the incorporation of the word "Peep" into the pictures may even encourage nascent readers to pick out a word or two. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Nancy Tafuri


Nancy Tafuri is the much-loved creator of more than thirty books for young children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Have You Seen My Duckling? and I Love You, Little One. She lives with her husband and daughter in Roxbury, Connecticut.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Mama Hen knows best. When her five newborn chicks are hungry, they eye delicacies too big for their diminutive stomachs. The first fluffy yellow chick "with a little squirm,/ spied a fat wiggly worm." The fifth chick, "with a little pout,/ saw a long shiny trout." But the hen, a striking matriarch with burnished orange feathers and a bright red hood and wattle, firmly steers her brood's attention to the corn patch, where they can "scratch, scratch, scratch" until the sun goes down. "Let's not make a peep!" admonishes Mama Hen as her chicks tuck under her feathery girth after a hard day's pecking. "It's time to snuggle and cuddle and sleep." This simple little story proves once again why Tafuri (I Love You, Little One) is a favorite with youngsters. Her full-bleed spreads exude a sense of artistic generosity: the tiny details within the large inviting shapes, and her sunny colors invite children to savor the action. Big, bold typography, a simple text and the incorporation of the word "Peep" into the pictures may even encourage nascent readers to pick out a word or two. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-As day breaks, five newly hatched and hungry chicks run around the farmyard looking for something to eat. Each one finds a possible meal-a worm, a ladybug, a strawberry, a butterfly, a trout-but none is just right until wise Mama Hen leads her hatchlings to the corn patch where they learn to "scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch." Told rhythmically and partially in rhyme, this simple story ends with the babes cuddling up near their mama as the moon comes up. Done in brush pen, watercolor pencils, and ink, Tafuri's endearing illustrations sweep across the pages, presenting an intensely close-up view of the chicks and the action. Though the tale is slight, the youngest listeners will delight in the art featuring almost life-size fowl, and beginning readers will find the text easy to manage.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Big bright pictures and big bold print tell the story of the first day of life for the title characters. The first two chicks are just breaking out of their shells as the text declares, "Once there were . . . " and continues in a style reminiscent of "Over in the Meadow." This and subsequent illustrations provide ample opportunity for chick-counting by young listeners. It's a day of discovery for the five chicks, a worm, a ladybug and a butterfly (fluttering by), as well as a vine of strawberries and a shiny trout in a clear stream. Then Mama Hen leads them through a scratching lesson in the corn patch. Finally, all snuggle and soundly sleep on a bed of hay, a full moon shining above. Tafuri's oversized illustrations make this an attractive if unexceptional adventure, especially for the lower end of its targeted age range. (Picture book. 2-5)

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

Counting books are a staple of toddler books, but this addition to the genre is unique for Tafuri's artistic sensibility and humor. Each of the five chicks, newly out of their shells, sets out to solve the problem of hunger. The first spies a "fat, wiggly worm;" the second a "spotted, crawly bug;" the third a "fuzzy butterfly;" and the fourth "a plump, red strawberry." All of these choices seem a bit far-fetched, but none so far as the fifth option: "a long, spotted trout"! Fortunately, Mama Hen has the answer: all can eat what they scratch in the corn patch. After a busy day there, they head home to the hen house, where they can snuggle with Mama and sleep. This funny, tender book is a good choice for bedtime sharing after a busy day. Recommended for home collections, and for inclusion in baby shower gifts. Part of the "Little Simon Classic Board Books" series. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

Book Details

Published
January 1, 2006
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages
32
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780689873423

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