Interrupting Chicken

Interrupting Chicken. written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. 2010. 32p. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. 

Author/Illustrator Website: www.davidezra.com

Medium: watercolor, water soluble crayon, china marker, pen, opaque white ink and tea

Awards and Honors: Caldecott Honor

Audience: ages 4 and up

Annotation: Little Chicken wants a bedtime story but every time her Papa starts to read Chicken can't help but interrupt.


Personal Reaction: 
Children's librarians love this book. And with good reason- it's clever, it's cute, and it references classic children's stories. 


Little Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but she can't help but interrupting the books each time he starts. When Papa is reading Hansel and Gretel and the siblings are about to enter the witch's house, Little Chicken screams out, "Don't go in! She's a witch!", effectively ending the story right then and there. When Papa tries to read Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf appears, Little Chicken screams out, "Don't talk to strangers!". And so on, until Papa suggests that Little Chicken tells him a bedtime story. Just as Little Chicken begins to tell her story, she is interrupted by a loud snore- Papa has fallen fast asleep and Little Chicken climbs into bed alongside him and goes to sleep. 


Little Chicken's irrepressible concern is adorable- it's obvious she's heard all of these stories many time over, yet she just can't help but jumping in to "save" the characters. The book's 'story within a story' structure is clever and satisfying. Children who are familiar with the original stories will get the most out of this book, though it's enjoyable enough to share with those who haven't heard them.