Hen Hears Gossip
What goes around comes around in this charmingly illustrated, comical barnyard tale with a message. Hen loves gossip. After overhearing Cow talking to Pig, she can’t resist telling others the news: “Sadie the dog has a thorn!” Word passes quickly from Duck to Goose to Turkey, who repeats the dismayingly altered message back to Hen: “You’re lazy, fat, and ate all the corn!” Hen and friends backtrack through the misheard gossip and discover how much they have misunderstood. The simple prose incorporates capitals and punctuation that offer guidance for animated read-alouds. The colorful, mixed-media collages, evoking Leo Lionni’s work, blend bold, blocky shapes with vivid, intricate patterns and textures. Children will enjoy the farcical fun, reminiscent of the classic game of Telephone, of following the original phrase as it progressively morphs (“The crazy bat raced a storm!” “A lady yak was born?”), and they’ll appreciate the message about gossip’s potential repercussions. Preschool-Grade 2. --Shelle Rosenfeld