Customer Reviews

The Plot Chickens

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Few young readers have been able to resist the smile provoking poultry series created by the husband/wife team of Mary Jane and Herb Auch. Titles such as Peeping Beauty, Superchicken and Egg Marks the Spot have won the Auchs a host of fans. The Plot Chickens is sure not only to delight those familiar with these stories but garner many new followers.

Henrietta, our favorite pop-eyed chicken, loves books, so she goes to the library to find some books to read to the other chickens in the coop. Next, Henrietta decides that if reading is so much fun writing a book must be even more enjoyable. As she begins to type her story (hunt and peck system, of course) young readers will learn the seven cardinal rules of creating a story from finding a main character to developing a plot to making your story come alive by using all five senses.
Writing isn't Henrietta's only skill, she also decides to make her own books. Of course, Mary Jane Auch's wonderfully colorful illustrations will bring many smiles. So, The Plot Chickens is an opportunity for young readers to both laugh and learn.

- Gail Cooke

I collect anything written by Mary Jane Auch, especially her childrens' picture books. However, I love "The Plot Chickens" so much I would have bought this book no matter who wrote it. The story is charming and teaches about writing in a distinctly kid-friendly way, the illustration are outstanding and eye-catching. As a grandparent I've found my grandchildren love this book and ask me to read it to them over and over. As an educator (I'm a Special Education teacher) I am fast finding that "The Plot Chickens" is becoming a key book that I use in teaching my students not only to write, but to love writing. In fact, I'm developing a lesson plan to submit to WritingFix.com (a site for teachers on teaching writing) using "The Plot Chickens."

Is this supposed to be a kid's book, or some kind of inside joke among writers? By the time most "kids" are old enough to understand the jokes knocking publishers and reviewers, they're long past kids' books. Actual kids - the ones this book is ostensibly aimed at - are likely to be pretty baffled.

Anyway, the book opens promisingly. Henrietta the chicken loves to read, she gets books from the library and reads to her aunts, and then she decides to write her own book.

Following a guide called "Writing Rules", Henrietta, with some rather unwelcome help from her aunts, writes a story. While the rules may be good so far as they go, the story Henrietta creates is, in the words of her reviewer, "odiferous". I can't suspend my disbelief enough to believe that the story time children voted it their favorite. It really does stink. Perhaps "Writing Rules" should add a ninth rule: "Make your story interesting".

I was also disappointed by the humor in the book. The title is so clever, I was expecting more of the same, but, sadly, most of the puns are just variations on substituting "eggs" for "ex" (e.g., "eggshilarating"). And, as noted, the pages dealing with submitting the story for publication, getting rejected, and the review I just found baffling and rather out of place in a children's book.

The problem with self-consciously writing about writing, especially for children, and especially if you are trying to be clever, is that it has to be really well done. I just didn't think this book met that mark. For a better example, read "A Book" by Mordecai Gerstein.

The writing alone would have earned this book two stars, in my estimation, but I gave it three because the illustrations are genuinely excellent (or, perhaps "eggscellent"). They are clear, colorful and engaging, and they add a bit of the humor that is missing in the writing.

Check this book out from the library if your child is around seven or eight. They may enjoy the corny puns once or twice and they may be inspired to write their own story. But I doubt many kids will want to return to this over and over.

The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane Auch is a wonderful book just for reading and enjoyment as well as the marvelous play on words throughout the text. The illustrations are vivid and are a definite addition to the story line. This book can readily be used in the classroom as a teaching tool for the writing process. Young writers can easily pick up on the process for their writing as well as the process that an author goes through and endures in trying to have their writing published. This is a great book and I definitely had to order additional titles by this author to not only read but to add to this retired principal's collection of children's books.

I think it's very hard to find a good picture book...but this definitely is one! I loved it. But the real test was reading it to my grand-daughter, who is 7. The book passed---she too loved it. It offers a great opportunity to talk and create your own story while reading this one. Highly recommend!

I am a professional author, and I've taught many writing classes. This book says it all. It covers the basic rules and the ups and downs of life as a writer. This is a gem!

This book gave great tips to help kids write good stories: create a main character, come up with an interesting situation, use sensory info. These and other helpful suggestions are presented in a cute story format about a chicken writing a book. When the chicken's book was rejected by publishers, though, I found the rejection unnecessarily insulting. More importantly, the sample story the chicken wrote caused me to knock off two stars. I guess if you're a chicken, you only have so many ways of solving problems. This chicken took the physical way out and solved her problem by pecking her antagonist on the nose. I'd like to encourage kids to come up with solutions that don't necessarily involve using force. I would have loved it if this otherwise worthwhile work had given an example story with a more thoughtful resolution.

Oh My Gosh! I knew this book sounded delightful before I bought it for my granddaughter - but until I saw it in person, I had no idea how great it really is! I started looking through the book when it came, and had to read the whole story right then. It is clevery written, and so much fun to read! A chicken announces she is going to write a book, and everybody wants to be the star. A lot of clucking going on in that henhouse as advice is coming from everywhere. Meanwhile, a young reader / writer is informed about what every story needs - from the plot to the publication. I bought this because my 7-year-old granddaughter is stapling papers together and creating her own stories, complete with illustrations. The book is a gift, so she has not seen it yet. But I KNOW she is going to love it.

Teaching writing is no easy feat. But if Henrietta can, so can fourth graders! I stumbled across this book and checked it out from the library. We are about to take the state standardized test for writing in fourth grade and believe me you, the people that make up the criteria for these tests have no idea what children should be expected to do as writers. Henrietta tells kids about the rules she has learned in order to write her own book. With the help of her aunts, who are a little bit off their rocker, Henrietta provides examples and non examples of what the rules for writing look like. My fourth graders enjoyed this book very much the first time I read it to them and we talked about the rules Henrietta wrote by in an informal, "oh no she's talking about the test again", manner. When I told the class we would be reading it again they were so excited and we created posters with each of the rules Henrietta uses, we looked at our own writing to spot if we were using these rules to be as "cool" as Henrietta and now, we take the advise a cool chicken has given us and it is working better than anything we have tried previously. If you are a teacher or if you are a parent that wants to get their child excited about writing, this book is a must have. My kids love the crazy aunt that says "The End. Good story!"

We bought this book for my son after renting it from the library, he loves it! The book was in perfect condition. Thanks!