Chicks Run Wild

PreS-Gr 2—Mama puts her five little chicks to bed, kisses them, and tucks them in. But once she leaves, it's party time. The noise from cartwheels and somersaults brings her back to warn her brood sternly that it's time to go back to bed. But once she closes the door, they're wreaking havoc in a pillow fight. This time Mama decides, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and in the process she outfoxes her youngsters and tires them out. Finally, she gets some serious "me" time and settles down in the living room to give herself a pedicure while surrounded by books, movies, and a cup of tea. The text in this short rhyming story gets singsongy at times, but the pencil and digitally painted illustrations carry the folksy tale in an able fashion. An entertaining selection for bedtime, the book will also combine well in presentations with other funny chicken stories, such as Janet Morgan Stoeke's "Minerva Louise" series (Dutton).—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA