Customer Reviews

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken [With Hardcover Book(s)] (Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When you're young, it still feels like anything can and might happen to you. Adventures peek out from under the horizon, big and fantastical ones that could make you feel more in control of your own destiny, more seasoned as a person, or like you're having more fun than you would be just sitting at home.

Louise is like that. She's a chicken who wants to experience "true adventure" and leaves home to discover what it really is. Her adventures are familiar in theory (pirates, the circus, faraway lands) and yet full of the unexpected when actually realized. There are dark moments and funny ones, often on the same page and in both the text and illustrations. The reader is privy to an understated version of the emotions and thoughts that run through Louise's mind as she seeks out "true adventure". Without a lot of exclamation points and hardly any exposition, Louise's story is quietly satisfying.

In this book Kate DiCamillo -- Newbery Winner and National Book Award finalist -- joins forces with Harry Bliss -- award winning illustrator of "Diary of a Worm" and the New Yorker magazine-- to produce a lighthearted book about a hen that longs for adventure, and gets it!

Those familiar with Kate DiCamillo know that while her books appear to be fables for young children, that they often have a dark side that makes them better targeted to the middle school and up crowd. With "Louise" however, there was only one grim moment, where a pirate was sucked down into the ocean, and it was handled well enough that I had no problem reading this book to my 6 year old son and his older sister.

As for the message, I would say that there were two. The first is that while adventure is exciting and interesting, that it is equally wonderful to be safe at home with your family and friends. The second message is not going to be something that children as young as mine are going to fully understand: it's the assertion that reading and hearing about an adventure is as good as living it.

4.5 Stars. My children LOVED this book. They thought the story was great, and they howled with laughter at some of Louise' antics; although there are assuredly some references, like the one to Bogart and the African Queen, that only adults will get.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer for BooksforKids-Reviews.com

We haven't read any of Ms. Dicamillo's other, better-known books yet, but my 4 year old and I love Louise. This is a great book for reading outloud. The pirates, the ring master, the aerialist and the fortune teller all beg to have their own voices, but I was surprised that Louise DEFINITELY had a voice of her own - one I hadn't ever used in a book before.

The Boy has listened to Louise every night for the past week and a half and I still like reading it to him. This is a sterling success for a picture book!

I was excited to pick up this book, but ultimately disappointed once I read it. Louise longs for adventure, but lacks character or charisma. She simply picks up and goes, and the story lacks in flow and cohesion, and is very choppy in writing.

Sadly, Louise's feelings of adventure might actually be described as adrenaline, since she only finds "adventure" when in dangerous situations. In Chapter 2, Louise is tight-rope walking and gets bored, so when the lion gets lose she feels, "Here at last, was true adventure!" Furthermore, in Chapter 3, a dark stranger grabs her by the feet and carries her away (kidnapping her), and she says "Here, at last, was true adventure!" I think this sends a very unnerving message to our children...while we dream of our warm and cozy beds, being dragged off into the night is adventurous! Not my idea of fun or fantasy.

Kate DiCamillo, Louise: The Adventures of a Chicken (Joanna Cotler Books, 2008)

One of the things about Because of Winn-Dixie that made the book so great, in my eyes, was how well DiCamillo draws characters. I was hoping that gift would bleed over into her writing for the tot set, but such was not to be in Louise. It's amusing enough, to be sure, but shallow. Louise is a chicken who dreams of adventure, and regularly takes off from the farm to get herself involved in various peccadilloes. Comes off more as a shaggy dog joke than anything else, and that's acceptable in a forty-eight page book, but Louise learning from the situations she got herself into and adapting her behavior over the course of the book (which would have turned this from a sitcom into a quest narrative) would have made for another classic DiCamillo release. ***

This is one of our favorite books! My daughters are 4 and 5 and this is part of their regular rotation. It is a little long, but well-paced and entertaining. At first my extremely sensitive kids (they are afraid of some of the plots on Sesame Street) were afraid of the picture of the drowning pirate. They quickly go over it and now quote the book. It's really funny to hear a 5 year old call someone "my sweet coq a vin"!

a plucky hen yearning for adventure, and also learning to appreciate the comforts of home. Love it!

We have all of the Mercy Watson books so we decided to get this one to add to our little library. My son loves Louise's adventures. He thinks the book is great and he loves the illustrations. He particularly enjoys her adventure in the circus with the lion. This is a shorter book than her Mercy Watson books but still a nice length for a bedtime story. I would highly recommend all of her books for young children. Happy reading!!

THis a charming and humorous book that can be enjoyed by children and the adults reading to them. My grandchildren like it.

I have read and reread this book to my nephew. He adores Louise's adventures. Great illustrations. Kate Dicamillo is awesome!