Little Chick [Hardcover]

Amy Hest (Author), Anita Jeram (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2009 | Age Level: 2 and up

The creators of the New York Times bestselling KISS GOOD NIGHT offer a trio of gentle tales about a special intergenerational bond.

Little Chick may be a good and patient gardener, as Old-Auntie observes, but what if you simply can’t wait for your carrot to grow tall? What if you skip like a pro but still can’t lift your kite in the air? Or if you’re a really good stretcher but can’t reach your favorite star? With affection and humor, Amy Hest offers three vignettes about a curious chick and a loving auntie who knows how to soften disappointments by keeping the spark of wonder alive. And the incomparable Anita Jeram renders Little Chick’s gestures and movements with a mastery that captures the spirit of every young child.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—The creator of Baby Duck presents three short adventures that brim with childlike concerns and solutions. Little Chick impatiently waits for her carrot to grow and then finally pulls it, finds a way to make her kite fly, and accepts that she cannot catch her favorite star and put it in her pocket. The protagonist, like many youngsters, wants what she wants immediately, but her understanding and wise Old-Auntie is always there to ease life's disappointments. The text is gentle, affectionate, and child-centered with some lovely turns of phrase and on-target dialogue. The stories become repetitive by the end, but that fact likely makes them more reassuring and appealing to the intended audience. Jeram's pencil-and-watercolor illustrations shine. Little Chick is so perfectly childlike—lying on her back holding her toes when she has to wait, leaning on Old-Auntie when things get too hard, or hanging her head dejectedly when her kite won't fly. Readers will empathize simply by looking at her. Old-Auntie is large and comforting yet distinctively birdlike, and the pages are nicely varied, mixing spot sequences with single- and double-page paintings. From the green-checked endpapers to the blue-washed star-filled sky on the final spread, Little Chick is a joy to behold and will find a treasured place in most collections.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
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From Booklist

Hest, who might be best known for her books about Baby Duck, here takes as her heroine a chick, who restlessly wants things she can’t have. The book is divided into three chapters. In the first, Little Chick is waiting for her carrot plant to grow tall, but little seems to happen. Old-Auntie hen notes that small carrots can be as good as tall ones, so Chick pulls her carrot from the ground and admires it for its beauty. Stories like this usually counsel patience, so although this is an interesting twist, it may confuse kids. The second story is about Chick’s frustrations in learning to fly a kite, and the last shows Little Chick reaching for a star she’d like to put in her pocket, even as Old-Auntie notes that no matter how good a “stretcher” she is, sometimes stars are prettiest in the sky. The book is handsomely designed, but the soft watercolor spreads of the hen and chick do get a bit repetitive. For the youngest, who may have their own opinions on wants and needs, though, this does open the doorway for discussions. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763628905
• ISBN-13: 978-0763628901
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 0.5 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amy Hest's many acclaimed children's books include the New York Times bestseller Kiss Good Night. A three-time winner of the prestigious Christopher Award, she lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an endearing book your little ones will want you to read again and again!, July 18, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Chick (Hardcover)

Little chicks sometimes have a hard time with things they don't understand, but fortunately Little Chick had a wise Old-Auntie who was always willing to give some affection and advice. It's a good thing because otherwise she wouldn't have anyone to help her get through her problems. One day she went to her garden to look at a carrot she was growing. "It did not grow. They waited some more ... and some more ... and still it did not grow." Little Chick looked quite discouraged as she nestled under Old-Auntie's wing, but not for long. Wise Old-Auntie gently leaned over to Little Chick and whispered to her ... something that would make her feel much better.

One day Little Chick made a kite out of some string and an old leaf. Try as she may, that kite would not lift into the sky. Old-Auntie praised and encouraged her and later Little Chick leaned on her. Another day, when night was approaching, Little Chick looked up into the sky and "stretched and stretched, trying to catch her star." Try as she may, she wasn't able to catch that star to put in her pocket. She was very sad and once again nestled up against Old-Auntie. Maybe she could help her out once again!

This is a series of three stories that, depending on the child or audience, can be read all at once or at different times. Each story is unique, but each one carries the theme of the dependence of the young on their older, more experienced and wiser elder. The watercolors were simply darling and showed the affection between Little Chick and Old-Auntie. It's really a special thing to have someone like Old-Auntie in your life, isn't it?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, June 18, 2010

By 

Lori Thompson "limegreen" (Nassau, Bahamas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Chick (Hardcover)

This book is beautifully illustrated. So much so I'd love to frame the pictures for my daughters bedroom. The story is so heartwarming, three stories of a determined little chick who's innocently impatient with his own limits and the tender encouragement and affirmation of his Old Auntie. Gorgeous book that my 2.5 year old requests as her bedtime story over and over again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adorable Collection, July 12, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Chick (Hardcover)

LITTLE CHICK by Amy Hest, with pictures by Anita Jeram is such a charming little book for toddlers and preschoolers. When my four year old son saw this book, we had to read it right away. He was immediately drawn to the cute picture of the "little chick" on the cover.

I was surprised to see that this picture book was actually made up of three separate little stories -- The Carrot That Would Not Grow, The Kite That Would Not Fly, and The Starry Night. Each story was just a few pages, and my son had no problem paying attention to all three stories at one sitting. He loved all three stories, but his favorite was the one about the carrot -- I think that's because his daddy has a garden. I liked that even if you have an active toddler who doesn't normally sit well for books (like my daughter was), you can still read one of the chapters quickly and complete the story.

This book was very appealing to me and my son. The pictures were just precious and there were weren't many words per page. There illustrations were simple, and yet there still was a lot to see on each page. I especially loved Little Chick and all of his expressions. And my little guy couldn't stop giggling when he saw the pictures of the "leaf kite."

I also liked the messages that were in this book -- that sometimes things don't always work out for you. Not only did Little Chick realize that his carrot didn't look exactly like he wanted and that it was okay, but he also learned that patience is important. The Old-Auntie hen was a terrific teacher to Little Chick and was always teaching her valuable life lessons like how to look at things a little differently. I think these themes are very important for children today, and I love how this book gives parents the opportunity to discuss them with their child.