Chicken Chaser

It's been a week since the Cybils winners were announced and I have yet to write about the fiction picture book winner, The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Shelley Jackson. What a suberb read aloud this book is! Children will love the sound effects, "Pruck! Pruck!" - which must be chicken for What's she up to this time?"PAH-QUAWKKKKK! And they will love the cadence, rhyme and repetition of words (as much as I love to read it)

Corn, I think, bright, shiny knuckles of yellow corn. Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Goldy-brown eggs all warm, warm, warm.

I frog-jump after Miss hen. Brown legs kicking. Arms flapping and pigtails sailing. Miss Hen goes flying, beak clacking, yellow legs scooting, quick-quick-quick and -gone!

Molasses-easy, I crouch down low. Molasses slow, I pull the grass aside.

Not only is the story a great read aloud, the illustrations are an amazing mix of paint and mixed media collage. You'll have to check out this book because to explain the elements of illustration and layout design will not do justice to this fine work of art. Although I'm a huge fan of Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny Too, in the final days of the Cybils my vote went to the Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County. For a couple of super reviews, here is one at Chicken Spaghetti and another at A Fuse #8 Production.