Mr. Watson’s Chickens
Author: Jarrett Dapier
Illustrator: Andrea Tsurumi
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Ages 4-8
One of National Public Radio’s Best Children’s Books, 2021, Mr. Watson’s Chickens, answers a question you didn’t even know you needed answered: what happens when you have 456 chickens living with you in your house? And, one of them starts singing jazz?
From the end pages, done in whimsical egg motifs, through the meticulously delineated chickens in every spread, this book is a joy to look at, and read. There are Easter eggs (yeah, I know) everywhere, including a nod to often overlooked members of the LGBTQ+ Community. The illustrations are bold and colorful, especially the look of exasperation on Mr. Nelson’s face when he says to Mr. Watson:
THESE CHICKENS ARE MORE THAN A PROBLEM!
IF YOU DON’T GET RID OF THEM, I’M MOVING TO
THE COUP OUT BACK–ALONE!
How this couple handles the chicken problem is deliciously dispatched (am I foreshadowing something, or am I throwing in a red herring?). Suffice it to say that no chickens were harmed in the making of the story and no nightmares will result. What will result? Laughter, thinking, and many requests to have this book read again and again. Make sure the kids count the chickens, before the new ones hatch! The story continues?
Mr. Watson’s Chickens (Amazon)*
Mr. Watson’s Chickens (Support an Independent Bookstore)*
My thanks to Chronicle Kids for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
More books for this Age Group can be found here and here.
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