Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken
She longed for adventure.So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world.The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful: marauding pirates on the majestic seas, a ferocious lion under the bright lights of the big top, a mysterious stranger in an exotic and bustling bazaar.Yet in the face of such daunting danger, our heroine . . .She was brave.She was fearless.She was feathered.She was a chicken.A not-so-chicken chicken.Her name?A Look InsideLouise: The Adventures of a Chicken(Click on   Images to Enlarge)Louise Meets Some PiratesLouise Meets a Fortune TellerQuestions for Kate DiCamilloAmazon.com:Tell us about Louise--how is she so brave? What do you do when you’re feeling a little bit chicken?Kate Dicamillo:When I think of Louise, the words that come to mind are insouciant and unflappable.  I suppose that when all is said and done, she is brave.  But she's also kind of, um, *clueless.*  As for me, when I am feeling afraid, I squawk and flap my wings and run around in circles and then I go ahead and try to do the thing that I'm pretty sure I can't do.Amazon.com:I know pirates don't keep very good records, but have you found any historical evidence of chickens adventuring with pirates?Dicamillo:Yes, it's true, pirates don't keep great records.  But there are several diaries of chickens that have survived through the ages and they paint a quite colorful (and detailed (and sometimes horrifiying)) picture of the many adventures that chickens have had with pirates.  I refererred to these diaries when I was doing my research.  They were written in chicken scratch; it was slow going.Amazon.com:If Louise, Despereaux, and Mercy Watson went on an adventure together, what do you think would happen?Dicamillo:Wow, there's a picture . . . let's see.  I can envision Louise standing on Mercy's back and Despereaux perched on Louise's head.  *Anything* could happen, I suppose.  And would. But I'm sure that whatever happened, it would involve toast, hot air balloons, cluelessness and Despereaux ultimately saving the day.Amazon.com:This is your first collaboration with Harry Bliss. Did you have his style in mind when you wrote the story, or did you join up with him afterward?Dicamillo:When I wrote Louise, I didn't have a particular illustrator in mind.  But the chicken (the whole world!) that Harry has brought to life in this book has delighted and humbled me.  He's a genius.Amazon.com:You've written award-winning books for kids of every age. Do you tell a different kind of story for each age, or do you think all kids find the same elements appealing?Dicamillo:I don't think about what age the story is for or who or why.  I just try to tell a story that makes me happy, one that makes me laugh, or cry; I try to tell a story that makes me glad to be here.Kate DiCamillo is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers, includingThe Tale of Despereaux, winner of the Newbery Medal;Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book; andThe Tiger Rising, a National Book Award finalist. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.