Laugh-Out-Loud Funny: Part 2 (Chicken Books!)

I'm not sure why chickens frequently make their way into picture books. Maybe their status as farm animals makes them accessible to the youngest book lovers. I'm not sure why chickens are inherently funny. Maybe it all flows from the chicken crossing the road joke. Regardless, children's chicken books are often hysterical. Here are two that had my boys laughing out loud this month.

Chicken Big 

by author/illustrator Keith Graves

Opening: "On a teeny little farm, in an itty-bitty coop, a very small hen laid a big, humongous egg." 

Talk about a juxtaposition! The illustrations of a huge chick combine with bird-brained dialogue to create a very silly situation. The smallest chick's contributions are especially funny. ("She was not the sharpest beak in the flock.") As the title suggests, the plot also draws on the story of "Chicken Little", stirring up a flurry of crises that the humongous chick diverts while the chickens all try to identify him: "Apparently, he is an umbrella!" Will the chick's heroic actions at the end finally gain him some acceptance?

Interrupting Chicken 

by author/illustrator David Ezra Stein

Told mostly in dialogue, parents will recognize the theme of this silly bedtime story. One of my boys is an "interrupting chicken", so this hit home for me and was definitely laugh-out-loud funny. Not only does Chicken interrupt the bedtime stories, but her interruptions also end the stories by nipping the problem in the bud. When Chicken heard the part where Little Red Riding Hood met a wolf in the woods, she interrupts, "Out jumped a little red chicken, and she said, 'Don't talk to strangers!' So Little Red Riding Hood didn't. The end!" As a writer, I find that Chicken highlights the need for a story arc with tension in order to create a satisfying experience for the reader. David Ezra Stein certainly does this with his clever book.

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny: Part 1

Wow, it's been over a year since I published a post. Sorry to all my loyal fans, but I had to set the blog aside so that I actually had time to WRITE! I've felt encouraged to get back to blogging, but I'm not going to do it on a schedule. I'll add books when they inspire ideas, mentor my writing, or display emotional truths that move me.

To reboot our journey down picture book lane, I'd like to focus on humorous stories. Laugh-out-loud funny books. Tales that literally had my boys guffawing. They begged for these books to be re-read and they got funnier every time.

I have a nine-book high pile of rib-ticklers, so this post will be in many parts. Enjoy!

1. STUCK by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is a master storyteller. He took a common expression and built a literal tale around it. Every page is more outrageous than the last and there are surprises at every turn. 

2. THIS ORQ. (he cave boy.) by David Elliott; illustrated by Lori Nichols

Orq has a pet. His mother does not approve. Sound familiar? David Elliott and Lori Nichols breathe fresh life into this evergreen theme by taking a step back in time. The unique voice doesn't hurt either. Check out this opening:
This Woma.
Woma woolly mammoth.
Orq love Woma.

Here's the page that had my boys doubled over with laughter:

PPBF: Moonshot

Title: Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Author/Illustrator: Brian Floca
Publisher/Date: Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2009
Genre/Audience: nonfiction/Ages 4-10
Themes: space exploration, moon, Apollo 11

Opening: "High above there is the Moon, cold and quiet, no air, no life, but glowing in the sky."

Synopsis: (from School Library Journal)

"Large in trim size as well as topic, this stirring account retraces Apollo 11's historic mission in brief but precise detail, and also brilliantly captures the mighty scope and drama of the achievement. Rendered in delicate lines and subtly modulated watercolors, the eye-filling illustrations allow viewers to follow the three astronauts as they lumber aboard their spacecraft for the blastoff and ensuing weeklong journey ("…there's no fresh air outside the window;/after a week this small home will not smell so good./This is not why anyone/wants to be an astronaut"). They split up so that two can make their famous sortie, and then reunite for the return to "the good and lonely Earth,/glowing in the sky." Floca enhances his brief, poetic main text with an opening spread that illustrates each component of Apollo 11, and a lucid closing summary of the entire Apollo program that, among other enlightening facts, includes a comment from Neil Armstrong about what he said versus what he meant to say when he stepped onto the lunar surface."

Why I Love This Book: 
After reading the Caldecott winning Locomotive, I had to get some of Floca's other books. Moonshot is enthralling. Floca combines lyrical storytelling with gorgeous illustrations. This book has a wide audience, appealing to those with an interest in space, astronomy, and U.S. history, but most importantly, to those who are not yet interested in those topics. I challenge you not be drawn in by this book.

Resources:

Field Trip: If you are local and looking for exhibits of spacecraft, the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles International Airport, houses many models, prototypes, and gear, including the Space Shuttle Discovery.

NASA Missions Page on Apollo 11

"Field Trip to the Moon" Educators Guide - Grades 5-8

Virtual Field Trip to the Moon

Craving more Perfect Picture Books? Author Susanna Leonard Hill compiles weekly book reviews from bloggers at www.susannahill.blogspot.com. Visit Fridays or click the Perfect Picture Books tab at her website for a subject listing.

Contest Entry: Wolfgang and the Three Little Pigs

The Contest on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog: Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words, that is a fractured fairy tale. 

Wolfgang and the Three Little Pigs

by Laura Renauld

389 words

Wolfgang peeked in the window of a straw house. He couldn’t believe his luck. A pig sat at the table. Wolfgang would finally get a chance to meet a storybook celebrity!

He reached up and excitedly rapped on the door. “Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in!”

“Who is it?” called the pig.

“Wolfgang.”

“A wolf GANG? Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!”

The wind began to howl. Wolfgang called, “The wind will huff and puff and blow your house in.” But his warning was too late. The cottage was flattened.

“SQUEAL!” Without looking back, the pig raced down the road to his brother’s stick house. Wolfgang ran after him.

“Wait!” But before he could introduce himself, Brother Pig slammed the door. Two celebrities! he thought. Wolfgang knocked. “Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in!”

“Don’t do it!” whispered the first pig to his brother. “He’s got a gang of wolves and they just blew my house down!”

“Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!”

The wind strengthened and Wolfgang called, “The wind will huff and puff and blow your house in.” But once again, his warning was too late. The stick house collapsed. Two pigs emerged from the rubble and ran squealing down the road to their sister’s brick house.

Wolfgang ran, too. They bolted the door. Rap, rap, rap! “Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in!”

“Wolf GANG” was all Sister Pig needed to hear. “Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin. Your gang will never flatten my house, you despicable WOLF!”

 “The wind can’t blow your house down,” Wolfgang yelled.

His words got jumbled in the howling gale. “I’d like to see you try!” cried Sister. The wind was too strong. Falling sideways, Wolfgang grabbed hold of the window frame.

Tap, tap, tap. Wolfgang pressed his face against the windowpane. “Let me in!” he shouted.

Sister Pig gasped. “That’s not a wolf!” She quickly opened the window and grabbed Wolfgang’s arm. Heaving him inside, they both collapsed in a heap.

“Thank you,” Wolfgang said, catching his breath. “It is such an honor to meet the famous Three Little Pigs! You are my storybook heroes. And now you are my real-life heroes!”

“The pleasure is ours,” said Sister Pig.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding,” mumbled Brother Pig.

“Wolfgang …,” mused the first pig. “What an odd name….”

PPBF: Zephyr Takes Flight

Title: Zephyr Takes Flight
Author/Illustrator: Steve Light
Publisher/Date: Candlewick Press/2012
Genre/Audience: fiction/Ages 4-8
Themes: airplanes, imagination

Opening: "Zephyr loved airplanes. She drew pictures of them, made them out of paper, and built them out of junk. Mostly, she played with them. One day, she hoped to fly one of her own."

Synopsis: (from Booklist)

Zephyr is well named: the little wisp of a girl is crazy about airplanes and flying. One day, after being sent to her room for a “triple loop-de-loop” crash-landing off the couch, she discovers a secret door behind her dresser that leads to “the most wondrous place Zephyr has ever seen.” It looks like an airplane hanger, filled with vintage flying machines and maps. What’s an adventure seeker to do? Zephyr climbs aboard the FS Bessie, flips a switch, and is off. After a malfunction and a bumpy landing, our ponytailed, bubble gum–chewing gal ends up in a strange land where pigs actually do fly. Zephyr helps Rumbus, the only pig without wings, before returning to her family—just in time for pancakes. Light’s (The Christmas Giant, 2010) fountain pen, pastel, and colored pencil sepia-toned illustrations exude old-fashioned charm, and swirling lines in the air emphasize Zephyr’s joy. Panels throughout nicely propel the action, while full-page spreads offer a wider view of Zephyr’s landscapes. A flight of fancy sure to appeal to the imagination. Preschool-Grade 2. --Ann Kelley

Why I Love This Book: 

Zephyr is spunky and imaginative, challenging the assumption that only boys are interested in airplanes. The story arc closely follows Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak): child pushes the limits and is sent to his/her room; child journeys to an unusual world; child decides to return to his/her family. The illustrations are gorgeous, full of whimsy and energy. And what's not to like in a book that "logically" plays on the expression "when pigs fly"?

Resources:

Field Trip: If you are local, or are an avid airplane fan looking for a vacation idea, head to the Udvar-Hazy Center. Located adjacent to Dulles International Airport, this Smithsonian facility sports two giant hangers with planes and space vehicles galore, including an Air France Concorde and the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Free paper airplane designs

Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machines

The Flying Pig Bookstore: a shout-out to my favorite indie children's bookshop! (Well worth another field trip… to Vermont!)

Craving more Perfect Picture Books? Author Susanna Leonard Hill compiles weekly book reviews from bloggers at www.susannahill.blogspot.com. Visit Fridays or click the Perfect Picture Books tab at her website for a subject listing.

Author/Illustrator Study: David Lucas

"My drawing is picture-writing – I never draw from life – I make patterns, 
as if I was knitting with ink." - David Lucas

I became enthralled with the work of David Lucas when his book The Robot and the Bluebird (2007) made its way into the pile of books my boys and I were checking out of the library.

This contemporary folktale juxtaposes the linear lifetime of a machine with the cyclical nature of migration and seasons. It plays on the meaning of "broken heart" and "live in his heart." It offers a second chance and the bond of friendship where there had only been dejection and hopelessness.

I had to read more.

Peanut (2008) is the story of a tiny monkey who is frightened by the great, big world he has just been born into.

From his perspective, insects are monsters, rain is "the sky … falling down," and sunset is the end of the world. With the help of a friend, the forest changes from frightening to magical overnight and Peanut is eager to be a part of it.

David Lucas' debut picture book as author/illustrator was in 2003 with the book Halibut Jackson.

A painfully shy boy named Halibut Jackson goes to great lengths to blend in and not be noticed. Until, one day, he miscalculates and stands out. Sometimes the most amazing things occur when you are forced out of your comfort-zone.

Here is the opening line in Cake Girl (2009) that immediately had me hooked: "The Witch was alone on her birthday… again!"

Combining celebration, magic, and menace, Lucas' story is truly a testament to the power of empathy and friendship.

From the looks of things, Nutmeg lives with her cousin and uncle in a junkyard. Everything is always the same, but when Nutmeg dreams of something different, she is rewarded in the most unusual way.

Nutmeg (2005), is one of the most quirky, off-beat, and dream-like stories I have ever read. The opening illustrations of clutter, dirt, and rust make a spectacular contrast to the pages at the end where pastels, clean lines, and new horizons prevail. All because of the power to dream.