We recently got some new baby chicks. They came in the mail. Little baby chicks chirping in the box. It must have been quite an adventure for these tiny things. I wonder what they were thinking in that box. With my big eyes and nose staring at them.
I happen to like chickens. (I like to EAT chicken!) But right now I’m talking about real live chickens that chirp and squawk and have feathers. Feathers do not taste good.
I like to watch real live chickens strutting around and doing their peckingย and diggingย and flapping. I find them amusing. I often lay in the shade of a nice tree and watch them scratching around in the dirt or chasing a grasshopper and I wonder what kinds of things they might dream about. What kinds of imaginations can be found in those tiny brains?
There happens to be an amusing little book by Kate DiCamillo about a chicken with a big imagination.
Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken
by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Harry Bliss
published by Joanna Cotler Books
(an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
in 2008
Fiction
Suitable for 1st grade and up
Themes – chickens, adventure, “There’s no place like home.”
Louise is a plump white chicken with big eyes and a big imagination. She looks like any other chicken on her farm. But she happens to have a real longing for some adventure. So one day she heads out in search of some. She finds LOTS of adventure. Maybe more than she bargains for. She has a scary time on a pirate ship, a heart stopping adventure with a circus, and a narrow escape from an exotic bazaar. Through all of her adventures she exhibits great naivete and is blessed with the greatest of luck! She also finds that she misses her cozy home and longs for her sister hens.
This was a really fun, swash-buckling book to read! It’s a big picture book with 56 pages. And it has chapters! Four! Each adventure is a new chapter. It also has some interesting words like fricasse and auditions and aerialist and “mon cheri” and mundane and coq au vin. There is some violence and some scary moments that make your heart beat a little faster. This story is anything but mundane! And it is hilarious! My readers loved it! We loved the story and the illustrations. Ms DiCamillo and Mr Bliss are quite an incredible duo!
My reader kids talked about what kinds of adventures they would have if they could. They all liked the idea of pirate ships. One wanted to go diving in the ocean with sharks! One wanted to race cars and one wanted to go on a safari. No one thought that they were brave enough to just leave home and go find adventure all on their own. They all thought Louise was very brave to do that. I just thought she was a little crazy.
There is an interesting interview with Ms DiCamillo on the Amazon page for this book. Visit it HERE. You’ll have to scroll down the page to find the interview.
Harper Collins has some teacher activities HERE.
Kids could make a paper plate chicken like these —
and take them on some adventures!
I leave you with a little entertainment – (I think that this is what my chickens do at night) —
Now skip on over to Susanna Hill’s blog HERE to check out the list of Perfect Picture Books that she keeps. You could make a reading adventure of it!!!!!
Be safe in all your adventures!
Your chicken loving friend
Rhythm
I too am a fan of chickens–they are so silly fun to watch. Fantastic craft idea! Who would have thought a chicken could be coaxed out of a paper plate!
Paper plates are quite magical!
Good morning, Rhythm,
I’ve jus seen that our libary here in Fredericksburg [http://www1.youseemore.com/pioneer/] has a summer reading programme for children. It’s a pity you’re not living closer to here. Otherwise it would be a wonderful opportunity to come by and read with the children. I’m sure they would like it a lot and it would give them a good incentive for their reading.
Have a great weekend,
Pit
Lots of libraries these days have canine reading programs. Maybe yours does! If not you might suggest it! Dogs love it, kids love it! Most everybody loves it!
Good suggestion. I’ll ask then when I get there the next time.
Meanwhile, have a great weekend,
Pit
What an exciting book! I’m impressed that you don’t chase the chickens. I think Sandy would eat them.
All those feathers kind of turn me off. I prefer to just watch and be entertained. Those babies do sound a lot like my squeaky toys though!
You raise chickens!? I didn’t know they came in a box. Great book to go along with the arrival of the chicks. What a great adventure book.
We’ve had chickens for as long as I can remember. Which is pretty long, I think. Time eludes me. They do come in a box to the post office. The Mom Person goes to pick them up there as soon as they arrive. Yes, Louise does have some fantastic adventures!
I’m a huge fan of Kate Dicamillo fan so I will have to get hold of this book from the library. Love your craft chicken with track shoes!
I don’t think that I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like a Kate DiCamillo tale! Isn’t that chick in shoes the darndest thing?!
Oooooo…more fuzzy-before-feathers fun! Love it! ๐ What is it about chicks and chickens that’s so appealing? I wasn’t aware of this book by Kate, so am happy to hear of it. Just requested it from the library ๐ And this video! How funny! lol Thanks for posting it, Rhythm ๐
Another awesome DiCamillo tale! She’s the bees knees, as they say! I have no idea exactly what that means.
Well, you made me just look it up! It seems it went from meaning one thing to eventually mean the complete opposite! lol
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-the-bee-s-knees
haha! The flea’s eyebrows! Looks like all those phrases are really very small, insignificant things! thanks for the education!
Louise, Kate, Harry – good recipe, just not for you to eat!
unh, unh! I’m not eating any of this one!
๐
hope they weren’t too scared traveling in that box
That’s an interesting question. It has to be pretty daunting to hatch out of an egg and be scooped up and put in a box with a bunch of squeaky little fluff balls. Then to pop out into the wide open world with a big nose staring you in the face. Hmmmmm. what a story that might make. Born in a box. They seem to recover pretty quickly – they start their scratching and eating right away!
Rhythm, I cackled all the way through the video! The book sounds fun too! And I must find an excuse to make the paper plate chicken.
Aren’t Grand Blessings excuse enough! Get to work!
Great book and great video!! Thanks.
Your welcome!
Themes: chickens, adventure. Classic! Those singers should team up with the muppet chicken choir and bring out a tv talent show called the Pecks Factor. I love that paper plate chicken’s cool sneakers. And I can’t believe your chickens came in the mail – what’s postage like for a box of chickens these days, I wonder?
The Pecks Factor!!!! ahhaha!!! That would be a good one!! I couldn’t tell you about postage. I don’t deal with that sort of thing.
Well, I bet it wouldn’t be cheep. CHEEP!!
Oh man! You’re cracking my up!
Well, it’s not planned – I’m just winging it!
Bok! Bok!!!!
I think this is the first PPB that I had actually read before I read about it here LOL. Really enjoyed this one, as you did. Thank you for being the first person to make me feel like I am getting “well-read” in the picture book world LOL
Well, your welcome! Thanks for stopping by Ms Sher!
Soooo funny! Thanks for a super fun post!
Your welcome! I love my job!
I also like to eat chicken, R. It makes me nervous that words like coq au vin and fricasse are in this chicken book. Also, it makes me hungry.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
I think that those words made Louise nervous!! But she lucked out and had a happy ending back at the farm.
What a good dog! Ours would have gulped those feathers down and regretted it later -or maybe not ever regretted it, lol. Kate DiCamillo writes great books.
I do know some dogs who are not at all deterred by feathers. I myself would rather have my chicken from the oven.
What a great post. Loved the book and oh my love how you are so tender with those baby chicks. Don’t they just make your heart melt? ๐ Thank you Rhythm.
Thanks Ms Diane! I don’t know that they make my heart melt, but they’re pretty cute little things.
I love those paper plate chickens! Gonna make one. Or two. Or maybe a whole flock!
And then sit down with ’em and read that book aloud.
That sounds like an excellent idea!
I’ve been wanting to read this book! Thanks for reminding me about it! ๐
You’re welcome!
Louise is a chicken, but around here she is a big black one.
hahaha! And I believe that she sometimes has some adventures of her own!
I had to run over and see if you had any books on chickens. Lo and behold, you do!
haha! Yes, chickens chickens everywhere it seems! ๐