Squawking Matilda [Hardcover]

Lisa Horstman (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Matilda is a chicken with attitude: proud, dignified, and scrappy. Aunt Susan sends her to Mae, who loves to take on special projects. But nothing is quick or easy with Matilda. Mae never had to work so hard before! Soon new projects grab her attention, and Matilda is neglected. When Aunt Susan plans a visit, Mae has to find out what it takes to care for a special chicken like Matilda.

Author and illustrator Lisa Horstman uses a unique style of digitally combining hand-crafted puppets with painted backdrops.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Horstman lives in Knoxville, Tennessee

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761454632
• ISBN-13: 978-0761454632
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,383,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When Lisa Horstman was seven years old, she won a prize for illustrating a poster for the local town's card party. She drew the queen of hearts playing cards. Emboldened by the sweet smell of success, she went on to win a ten speed bike from the Kellogg's Stick Up For Breakfast Contest by illustrating Betsy Ross scarfing down a bowl of Corn Flakes (the contest had a 1976 bicentennial theme.) It began to dawn on her that she could make a living by drawing, one of her favorite things to do besides reading.

As an adult, Lisa decided that working in an office setting was not really her whole ball of wax, so she hatched a plan. She loved to draw, and she loved to write stories. Why not combine the two? The result was a children's picturebook contest entry, "Fast Friends," which won the Random House Dr. Seuss Picturebook Award in 1994, earning her first picturebook contract and $25,000 in prize money. What followed were numerous picturebooks for children, including "The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball," "The Troublesome Cub," and "Wee Ones." She has also illustrated Debbie Kalen's "One Baby Mountain Goat," Erin Mirabella's "Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race," Doris Gove's "The Smokies Yukky Book," and Steve Kemp's "We're Going to the Mountains."

Her most recent work, "Squawking Matilda," is illustrated with stop motion animation-style puppets which were photographed and digitally superimposed against painted illustrations. She looks forward to more picturebooks created in this manner.

And she still has that ten speed bike she won from Kellogg's.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Squawking Matilda promo book trailer!, July 21, 2009

By 

Lisa Horstman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Squawking Matilda (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:56 Mins

Hello, everyone! Meet Matilda, Mae, and Cat, three characters in my new picturebook, "Squawking Matilda". Taking care of a chicken isn't all it's cracked up to be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing's quick or easy with Matilda involved, June 18, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Squawking Matilda (Hardcover)

Lisa Horstman's SQUAWKING MATILDA tells of a scrappy chicken with an attitude. Nothing's quick or easy with Matilda involved in affecting the results of a host of projects in this zany, fun story. An excellent addition to any picturebook collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to crow about, June 16, 2009

By 

Patrice Etter (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Squawking Matilda (Hardcover)

Growing up on a farm offers all sorts of unusual opportunities for mischief, and young Mae's latest project is creating a wardrobe for her molting pet chicken, Matilda. That is, if she can focus her attention on this task long enough to finish it. Squawking Matilda is a delightful bucolic adventure created by children's author/illustrator Lisa Horstman. (Disclosure: This review is being written by one of the her proud older sisters.) Using a technique reminiscent of Dare Wright's "Lonely Doll" books, the artist poses and photographs dimensional models of her characters but digitally enhances them in a range of colorfully illustrated backgrounds. The effect is distinctive and charming. The facial expressions are a visual treat (have you ever seen a haughty hen?) and the details in the hand-made costumes are captivating (Matilda's jacket is a funky favorite). Squawking Matilda is a unique creative achievement destined to be a classic--on or off the farm.