Why the Chicken Crossed the Road

A rollicking investigation of cause and effect by the Caldecott medalist. The tale of the chicken and Desperate Dan, a bandit, told in beautiful full-color pictures and leavened by the trademark wit of David Macaulay.

Publishers Weekly

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The two-time Caldecott Honor winner is too wise to try to answer that question but ventures to demonstrate the circularity and the humor of the ensuing anomaly. When the chicken crosses the road it triggers a domino effect of events that involve, among others, some cows, an ancient bridge, a passing train, dining-car passengers, an outlaw, a golden watch, melted ice . . . and readers end up at the beginning again; the chicken, first a prime mover, is now merely a consequence. Macaulay's story shows a justified and true belief in the fun, innocence and irony inherent in the turning of the wheel. This, undoubtedly will delight children and confuse adults. His art, for those familiar with Macaulay's highly realistic black-and-white drawings, is this time flushed with color and zaniness, demonstrating a vaudevillian's canny timing with a sensational round of rapid-fire action. All ages. (September)

David Macaulay is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books have sold millions of copies in the United States alone, and his work has been translated into a dozen languages. Macaulay has garnered numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, and the Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. In 2006, he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, given "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." Superb design, magnificent illustrations, and clearly presented information distinguish all of his books. David Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.