Henny Penny
PreSchool-Grade 3–A charmingly fleshed-out version of the traditional story. One morning, an acorn falls on Henny Penny's head. As she encounters various animals, she explains, I was shaking my dustcloth this way and that, round and round, and all of a sudden the sky fell down! Fortunately, when she and her friends are trapped in Foxy Loxy's house, she realizes the severity of their situation. Seeing feathers on the floor, a pile of old bones, and a BIG pot of water on the roaring fire, she cleverly fools the gullible fox and springs them from their otherwise dire ending. Brightly colored and skillfully drawn illustrations balance perfectly with the delightful text and draw readers into their depths. Whimsical details include a napkin holder and a fork decorated with a fox head, a cookbook that has an image of a dressed fowl on the cover, and a picture of an imagined stew pot on a lit fire that is filled with all the birds surrounded by carrots and onions. Even if your library has Steven Kellogg'sChicken Little(HarperCollins, 1987), you'll want this sprightly retelling of a favorite tale. It will make a great read-aloud.–Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.