The Chicken of the Family (Hardcover)

by Mary Amato (Author), Delphine Durand (Illustrator) "Henrietta had two older sisters who loved to tease her..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Henrietta’s older sisters love to tease, but they reach new heights when they inform Henrietta that she’s a chicken: “Mom got you from Barney’s farm.” Arguments about having no feathers don’t hold sway. But soon Henrietta thinks she may, indeed, be a chicken— especially after she finds an egg in her bed. So she heads over to Barney’s farm to commune with her sister chicks, flapping her arms, and rolling in dirt. When her sisters come to take her home, Henrietta informs them that she is a chicken. Now, its up to the siblings to work as hard to convince Henrietta of her humanity as they did of her fowlness. The knowing premise, so true to the shenanigans of real siblings, runs its amusing course until the conclusion, when the effort peters out. But kids will still get plenty of laughs from both the story and the bright pictures on clean, white backgrounds. Henrietta, as homely as she is humorous, shows readers how to turn teasing upside down. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper

Product Description
Henrietta’s two older sisters love to tease her. When they try to convince her that she’s actually a chicken instead of a little girl, it’s pretty hard to believe at first. But the evidence is all there: her legs are kind of yellow, and her toes are kind of long. The feathers she finds beside her bed the next morning settle it, and Henrietta heads off to the farm to find her real family.

The chickens welcome her with open wings, and this lovably gullible heroine’s joyful acceptance of who she really is will have readers squawking with laughter.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (February 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399241965
• ISBN-13: 978-0399241963
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #174,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute, Quirky Story, May 14, 2009

By	D. Dorsey "Mom to 2 Boys" (The South, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an adorable, funny story that parents will enjoy reading to their children. It's a story about a little girl and the sisters that tease her into believing she is a chicken.

Very cute story that's very enjoyable to read. The illustrations are cute and quirky.

Recommend to parents of pre-school to kindergarten ages, both girls and boys will enjoy. Gives a great opportunity to explain why you shouldn't tease your siblings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars when taunting younger siblings backfires..., March 14, 2008

By	delzey (new england) - See all my reviews

It is the sacred duty of the eldest child to deviously taunt the youngest sibling. If one can do so with the aid of middle siblings, all the better. It is equally the duty of the youngest sibling to both believe the most gullible lies delivered by the oldest sibling and find an equally clever, but innocent, way to get their revenge.

And so we have The Chicken of the Family.

Henrietta is woken from her sleep and told by her oldest sister Kim that she isn't really a member of the family, she is a chicken, acquired from the farm down the road. Middle sister Claire's job is to go along with the joke, the support of two people saying the same thing giving the statement the weight of truth. Henrietta doesn't believe it's true until she wakes up in the morning and finds an egg in her bed and a couple of feathers on the floor.

Certain now that she is truly a chicken she runs away, down the road to the farm where she takes her rightful place in the chicken yard. Henrietta has no qualms adjusting to her new life as a chicken, scratching and taking a dust bath and playing follow the leader.

Kim and Claire arrive with a directive from their parents to admit their prank and bring Henrietta home. The only problem is that Henrietta is enjoying herself too much, feels she really is a chicken, and refuses to follow. Exasperated, Kim decides to call for back-up from her parents but Claire has decided to stay -- she's broken away from her sister's scheme after seeing what fun it is to be a chicken. Henrietta and Claire do trundle on home just in time to see their older sister getting chewed out for causing this fiasco.

"Sometimes it's good to be a chicken."

Indeed, sometimes embracing your gullibility is no different than embracing what makes you unique. Accepting what her sisters have told her, Henrietta is free to discover what it means to be different. She knows she's not a chicken on some level, just as she doesn't run away to get her sister in trouble, but along the way she's learned something about herself, about another culture (if you will), and about the things others will do to control you.

Yes, this is a deeper reading that a light and fluffy picture book deserves, but it's true: sometimes it is good to be a chicken.

2.0 out of 5 stars Cute story for kids over the age of 8 years or so., July 20, 2009

By	C. Tracy - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The recommended age for this story is 4-8 years. However, the kids in the book are really mean, calling each other "dumbhead" and "chicken," and convincing the littlest sister that she lays eggs at night and the family eats them for breakfast. My four year old had never heard these insults and since reading the book once, he has used the terms several times! Now I've got to discipline him for calling a friend "dumbhead," thanks to this book.

This would be a funny read for the older siblings when they are over the age of 8 years, so they can appreciate the humor and learn not to tease the little ones.