Cook-a-Doodle-Doo [Hardcover]

Janet Stevens (Author), Susan Stevens Crummel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Big Brown Rooster is sick of chicken feed. So along with his friends--Turtle, Iguana, and Potbellied Pig--he sets out to make the most magnificent strawberry shortcake in the whole wide world. But there’s one problem: none of his friends knows how to cook! The team bravely forges ahead, and with Rooster’s help, they learn how to measure flour (not with a ruler) and how to beat an egg (not with a baseball bat). But can they keep Pig from gobbling up all the ingredients? Take an old family recipe, add four funny friends, and mix in some hilarious cooking confusion and you have a picture book treat for children of all ages!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"'Always chicken feed! Day after day--year after year--I'm sick of it!' squawked Big Brown Rooster."

In this deliciously imaginative book by sisters Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, a hungry and fed-up rooster suddenly recalls his famous Great-Granny, a fabulous chef who penned a book of recipes for future generations. He hunts down her cookbook--The Joy of Cooking Alone by L.R. Hen.

Rooster carefully turned the pages. "So many recipes--and I thought she just baked bread! Look at the strawberry shortcake!... Yes sirree--just like Great-Granny, I'll be a cook! COOK-A-DOODLE-DO-O-O!"

Upon settling down with this remarkable tale, every child's natural curiosity for cooking will likewise come bursting forth. There is a great basic story here, with plenty of creative spins on The Little Red Hen. In this version, Rooster--rebuffed by Dog, Cat, and Goose just like his Granny was--finds companionship in the kitchen with Turtle, Iguana, and Potbellied Pig. As Turtle reads the recipe aloud, Iguana continuously confuses the instructions to great comedic effect, Amelia Bedelia-style. (He tries to cut butter with scissors and beat an egg with a baseball bat.) Pig, on the other hoof, asks over and over for a chance to taste the batter. ("Looks mighty dry in there," said Pig. "Perhaps I should taste it.") Stevens's sure, friendly illustrations evoke a tremendous amount of character and activity in lightning-fast time. Take, for example, the cooking hats all the creatures don when they get to the kitchen: Turtle sports a copper-bottomed soup pot on his head, Iguana wields a candy-striped oven mitt, and Pig is wearing a kitchen towel, tied kerchief-style. They're ready!

Scattered through the story are sidebars with cooking tips that offer information on the ingredients, measurements, and techniques mentioned in the text. (Even if kids don't want to read them, they're quite handy for adults answering questions while reading.) Kids will love this lively, slapstick story of teamwork in action, and no doubt will want to try making strawberry shortcake! Fortunately, the recipe for "Great-Granny's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake" is in the back. (Ages 4 and older) --Jean Lenihan

From Publishers Weekly

Stevens (Tops and Bottoms) and her sister cook up a boisterous romp as four animal friends set out to bake a strawberry shortcake. Rooster, tired of pecking for chicken feed, remembers that his famous great-grandmother (the Little Red Hen) wrote a cookbook, and in it he finds the recipe. Turtle, Iguana and Pig volunteer to help. If left solely to the text, the rest of the comedy-cum-cookery lesson would be fairly predictable: Turtle, reading the recipe, announces they need flour and Iguana rushes outside to pick a petunia; asked to beat an egg, Iguana hoists a baseball bat. (Handsomely illustrated sidebars explain most of the directions in depth.) Rooster sets Iguana straight while Pig keeps wanting to taste everything in sight. The illustrations, however, are startling in their pop-off-the-page dimensionality. In her characteristic style, Stevens mixes media, seamlessly combining paints, photos and computer art to witty effect; readers will want to look very closely to determine what's from real life and what's from a palette. Wearing their silly chef's hats (an inverted saucepan, an oven mitt, a kitchen towel and an apron), the four animals create a whirlwind of activity on every spread. Presiding adults should note that the strawberry shortcake recipe at the end is not as foolproof as the story would imply, even with the information in the sidebars; kids, enthused by the kitchen frolics depicted here, will surely want to attempt it. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; First edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152019243
• ISBN-13: 978-0152022402
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Entertainment!, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cook-a-Doodle-Doo (Hardcover)

Look out Amelia Bedelia! Big Brown Rooster and friends are cooking strawberry shortcake and the misunderstandings abound! Literal interpretations and great illustrations make this an extremely entertaining picture book. Read the book, create the shortcake, and eat it! The recipe included in the text is fantastic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outrageous animation !, February 12, 2000

By 

Mahina "localgirl" (on the coast of somewhere beautiful) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cook-a-Doodle-Doo (Hardcover)

The animal's expressions are SO animated that it is a visual DELIGHT as well as a fun read ! What a treat !

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book for your collection!, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cook-a-Doodle-Doo (Hardcover)

Not only is this book highly enjoyable, it is also very educational. Teachers, and parents alike, will enjoy sharing this delightfully funny story with children everywhere!