The Chicken Thief (Stories Without Words) [Hardcover]

Béatrice Rodriguez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010 | Age Range: 3 and up | Series: Stories Without Words

In this wordless story that is both funny and sweet, a fox steals a hen away from her home. Bear, rabbit, and rooster give chase, but in a twist on the usual children's story, this fox is not a villain. Rather, he tenderly holds hen as he runs into the night. A funny and life-affirming story, The Chicken Thief defies expectations, enlivening the mind with its cleverness while going straight for the heart. This intelligent and charming book is great for all ages. A love story, a road movie, and a playful speculation on stereotypes and misconceptions, The Chicken Thief makes for an unforgettable reading experience!

Béatrice Rodriguez was born in 1969. She received her degree from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France, and works today as an illustrator, creating children's books as well as pictures for the press. She lives in France.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1–The book opens with a group of animals waking up to a beautiful morning in their small house in the woods. But is that a fox lurking in the bushes? And does he have his eyes on a pretty white chicken? It is, and he does. The chase scenes that follow show a bear, rabbit, and rooster in tireless pursuit of the speedy fox with the chicken held tight in his arms. They go from the forest through the mountains until finally they reach the sea. The story closes with a surprise that kids will love. The pages are wide but not at all high, and the spreads have no white space. This layout is a great showcase for the wonderful paintings, which are full of movement, drama, and a quietly goofy form of comedy. The colors and sense of light are lovely, especially when the clear green of the forest sets off the orange fox and his little captive. A delightful wordless story.Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Touched with wit and whimsy, this wordless picture book offers an entertaining take on the familiar fox-and-chicken story. After a fox snatches a chicken, the bird's horrified friends—a bear, rabbit, and rooster—immediately set off in pursuit. Their rescue effort takes them through a forest, up a mountain, over a sea, and from day through night. When the exhausted trio finally arrives at the fox's burrow, though, an unexpected, surprisingly sweet scenario awaits. Delightful ink-and-wash artwork follows the winsome animals from countryesque cottages to deep-hued night forests to bright, sunny shores. Rodriguez shifts the mood from the comic, when fox and chicken enjoy a candlelit game of chess in an inner-mountain cave, to the affectionate, and the small details invite close viewing. Taken together, the scenes in this enjoyable tale send appealing messages about the pitfalls of assumptions and the pleasure of unexpected friendship. Preschool-Grade 2. --Shelle Rosenfeld

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Product Details

• Age Range: 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592700926
• ISBN-13: 978-1592700929
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 10.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from [...] April 27, 2010

By www.firrkids.com

Format:Hardcover

here have always been wordless picture books on the market, but I have never really understood their appeal. I like the words in a story. I find it soothing to know exactly what to say for each picture, and the comfort of having that cue to turn the page. I'm the narrator for a wordless book? Mmm ... what if I'm not saying the right things? Many times I don't feel terribly imaginative and prefer to just coast along on the creativity of others.

When Enchanted Lion came out with The Chicken Thief, I had barely glanced at the cover illustration and immediately knew it was a book I wanted to read. A fox sprinting along with a chicken tucked tightly under his arm? Yeah, I'm going to need to know exactly what that fox has in mind. It wasn't until I took a closer look that I realized the description read "In this wordless story that is both funny and sweet ..." Grrr. I would have dismissed the whole idea, except that Enchanted Lion has a habit of putting out terribly good books. Maybe I could be persuaded to give wordless a try just this once ...

A handful of friends are enjoying a sunny day at their cottage, when a fox leaps from the bushes and swoops up unsuspecting Hen. Clamping her beak shut with one paw, he dashes into the forest. Bear, Rabbit and Rooster give chase, with angry scowls on their faces. Although the trio is is determined, they soon become fatigued, hardly able to keep up. Even Hen (who hasn't exerted one bit of energy) is nestled into Fox's arms, fast asleep. The other animals follow Hen's lead and find perches in trees to break for night-time, taking chase again in the morning.

In the morning, the animals are up and running, with scowls square on their faces. Fox knows his territory well, and leads the others on a merry chase.... At one point, he makes his way through a series of tunnels, in which Bear gets stuck fast. Fox and Chicken take the opportunity to play a leisurely game of chess while Rabbit works at twisting Bear free.

The animals chase on and on, over hills and across a lake. When they finally do catch up with Fox and Hen, things as not as they seem on the surface. Fox has a fire stoked up in his sweet cottage, but it has not been built with the intent of roasting a chicken. Rather, the two friends are enjoying a hot drink in front of the fire. Explanations are hastily made to Bear, Rabbit and Rooster and the group relaxes.

It turns out that wordless picture books are quite different from the regular sort, but they do offer their own advantages. We enjoyed the creative aspect of imagining what the animals might be saying on each page, and it sure is fun to hear what kids will come up with. The Chicken Thief is particularly good because of the great chase and the expressive illustrations. The body language and facial expressions of the animals convey so much that it is easy to forget about the lack of words on the pages. I think in the world of wordless picture books, this may be the cream of the crop. I'm really glad I gave this book a chance! Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute... and Yet Somehow Disturbing December 27, 2010

By Pam T TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Cute... and Yet Somehow Disturbing

On the face of it this is an adorable wordless book. It starts out with a group of friends setting up a table so they can enjoy a nosh together. Then out of the woods runs Fox, who scoops up Chicken and takes off. Chicken's friends -- Rooster, Bunny, and Bear -- take off after her and after a long, funny journey, they finally catch up with the pair and find out that Fox and Chicken have come to like one another quite a bit.

The disturbing part is the abduction. Kids probably won't think "Stockholm Effect", but that's what my mind conjured up.

THE SKINNY:::
I think how you view the book will have a lot to do with how happy you are with it. If the abduction bothers you, skip it.

Otherwise, this is a cute book for younger children. Besides the interesting race to catch the wily Fox, there are some amusing moments shown, like when Bunny is trying to yank Bear out of a tunnel where he's gotten himself stuck.

Pam T~
mom/blogger

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Told in a series of detailed, full page illustrated paintings April 22, 2010

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Hardcover

"The Chicken Thief" is the latest release in a series of wordless books for children published by Enchanted Lion. Told in a series of detailed, full page illustrated paintings in delicate colors of apricot, brown, white and green, "The Chicken Thief" will enthrall young readers with its tale told in exciting pictures from start to finish. Observers must pay close attention, for the story has more than a few unexpected plot twists and surprises, and the careful viewer may unearth more delight from closer scrutiny of the enchanting paintings. Suitable for ages 4-8, "The Chicken Thief" presents a hidden moral in a surprising reinterpretation of an older fairy tale.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great wordless book! December 16, 2012

By kmiller

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a teacher and my kids laughed through this whole book. It is very cute and funny. It generated lots of questioning and discussion. Love it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great gift to "read" to the grandchildren! July 20, 2010

By Dr. Linda

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was recommended by the Wall Street Journal. I just take their advice and usually purchase the paper's recommendations. I had no idea that there were no words or text. I brought the book up to my grandchildren's bedroom to "read" it before they went to sleep. It was so much fun because I was able to quiz them about what they saw and what the faces of the characters' meant and, as we turned the pages, we would look for clues. It taught them the important message that how things appear may not truly reflect how things really are. It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my experiences with my two grandchildren. The 5 year old and the 2 year old were enchanted and so was I. When they outgrow it, I will keep it. Dr. L

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We love this book June 13, 2010

By Noble M. Smith

Format:Hardcover

My six year old son and I love this book. The style reminds me a little of the great children's book author John Burningham (Mr. Gumpy's Motorcar). But this story is totally unique. The perfect book for kids who love Polo and other wordless picture books. I think people will be reading The Chicken Thief fifty years from now. It's a classic. Magical and beautifully done.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative, Ground-Breaking Wordless Picture Book April 28, 2010

By Nancy Mehegan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Stories Without Words = IMAGINATION*** I haven't been impressed by a children's book in a long time, but this book is unusual and innovative. It is wordless, and filled with glorious illustrations. Since it's wordless, one uses IMAGINATION to follow the storyline. Visual storytelling at its best. Children will learn about reading body language, facial expressions and creative imagining -- important skills.

Plot: A fox steals a hen away from her home. A dramatic chase through the forest, over mountains and across the sea begins as hen's friends (Bear, Rabbit and Rooster) give chase. But, but this fox is not a villain. The fox holds "hen" tenderly and does no harm. Hen eventually loves fox and remains with him. The story line goes beyond typical stereotypes -- how often is a fox NOT a villain? The images often run across two full pages and give a sense of movement and "the chase". The book is compelling and gripping as soon as one turns the pages.

Apparently wordless books are "the rage" in Europe. I suspect they will soon "catch on" in North America. A great way to stretch a child's mind and imagination in a media world which often "spoon feeds" stories. This book surprised me -- with its beguiling forest and nature scenes. And its energy. A fabulous visual storytelling experience!