Blog Entry #2: Chicky Chicky Chook Chook

Chicky Chicky Chook Chook

Written and Illustrated by Cathy MacLennan
Boxer Books
2007
24 pages

Fantasy

I chose this book because the illustrations are funky and bright. Not only did the illustrations capture my imagination, but the way the words whirled and twirled on the pages interested me as a reader. The words are used as emphasis to the illustrations of baby chicks, bees, and kittens lazily going through their day. The words are nonsense words made to rhyme with one another, but they convey to the reader that the animals in the story are more than likely new to the world. Maybe it’s summer, and the baby chicks, bees, and kittens were born in Spring. The baby animals are going through their day, playing and sleeping, when all of a sudden they hear a loud BANG! They wonder what it could be, and out of nowhere water falls from the sky. The baby animals are scared and don’t know what to think when they hear another loud BANG! After the rain stops, the baby animals are dripping wet and wondering how they will get dry again. Luckily, the sun comes out again and dries the baby animals into balls of fluffy fluff.

          The illustrations in this book are vibrant yet simple. They have a remarkably sophomoric look to them, as if they were drawn hastily with acrylic on a piece of cardboard. The informal style of the illustrations highlights the importance of the pictures as opposed to the words on the page. The pictures are the main course in this book and they are exciting and fun.  The brush strokes are fast and blunt and give a whimsical feel to the book while the colors are vivid and pop off the page to add excitement.

          Overall, I think this book was enjoyable and great for children of younger ages. It made me think back to when I was really young and the excitement and newness of each tiny experience. A thunderstorm today?! What will tomorrow bring? I would recommend this for several uses in younger-aged classrooms. It has great repetition of sounds making it excellent for beginning readers. It also could be used for teaching alliteration, consonance, and assonance.

If you enjoy this book, check out more information and works by Cathy MacLennon by clicking on her name to go to her website.