Wee Little Chick
Aimed at the same age group that enjoyed her Little Quack series, Thompson’s sweet new picture book features another small bird who gets a lot of attention. The first spread shows a “wee little chick” still in its shell, looking up at mother hen with a cheerful expression. Although this chick is deemed the smallest of the bunch, she displays plenty of confidence as, one by one, bigger animals come by to remark on how small she is. With a big smile on her face, she proceeds to stand tall (on a heap of straw), peep the loudest of them all, run the fastest, and find the biggest seed. After all the hustle and bustle, she and her siblings snuggle close to mother hen for “a wee little sleep.” Butler’s barnyard backgrounds are fairly standard, but his anthropomorphic illustrations of the animals will delight young children. Created with acrylic paint and colored pencils in soothing hues, they feature smiles that are infectious and expressions full of caring and warmth. Preschool-Grade 1. --Abby Nolan