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Summary
Summary
Everyone has heard the story of Henny Penny, and how her foolishness led her to a terrible end. But that is the version from the fox's point of view. In this beautifully illustrated retelling, readers will enjoy a cheery new take on the tale of Henny Penny, who may have been smarter than anyone previously thought. The familiar repetition of silly names and the even sillier antics of the animal characters will win over readers as they have for generations, while Sophie Windham's gorgeous illustrations bring a fresh new perspective to this heroic hen's tale.
Reviews "French's text grants the famous fowl a considerable intelligence upgrade." -Publishers Weekly "[A] Clever retelling...Windham's artwork lends the illustrations a country feel that suits the text perfectly. A welcome addition to the fairy-tale genre." - Kirkus Reviews "A charmingly fleshed-out version of the traditional story... Brightly colored and skillfully drawn illustrations balance perfectly with the delightful text and draw readers into their depths." -School Library Journal About the Author
Vivian French is an acclaimed poet living in England.
About the Illustrator
Sophie Windham illustrated The Obvious Elephant . She lives in London.
Author Notes
Vivian French is an acclaimed children's author with a long and respected list of titles to her credit. She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sophie Windham is the illustrator of The Obvious Elephant . She lives in England with her husand and two children. Sophie has been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 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's Chicken Little (HarperCollins, 1987), you'll want this sprightly retelling of a favorite tale. It will make a great read-aloud.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Although Windham's (The Obvious Elephant) painterly illustrations set a classical tone, French's (A Present for Mom) text grants the famous fowl a considerable intelligence upgrade. Henny Penny still believes that the sky is falling, still rallies Turkey Lurkey et al. to warn the king, and still leads her friends right into the clutches of the voracious Foxy Loxy. But once the group arrives in the lair, Henny Penny has an epiphany of sorts. Noticing the bones and feathers strewn about, the chicken deduces that they're on the menu. (Windham captures this light bulb moment in a deliciously wry spot illustration.) "Now, Henny Penny...," the clucky heroine says to herself, steeling herself for what's ahead, "You may be silly, but surely there's something you can do." And she's right. She offers to tidy up the place, and while doing so, sings a lullaby so soporific that Fox falls fast asleep and the group tiptoes away. Aside from this tip of the hat to self-actualization, however, the book comes down solidly on the side of old-fashioned storytelling. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
The traditional tale gets a new--and happier--ending in this clever retelling. French directly addresses readers, telling them they may have heard the story about Henny Penny before, but that was the foxes' version. This one is the truth. Both accounts are identical up to the point where the five fowl meet the fox on their way to tell the king the sky is falling. Since they do not know where he lives, the fox leads them . . . right to his den so they can share a meal. But clever Henny Penny sees feathers, bones, a pot of water and a single place-setting, and knows she must do something. Her clever solution allows the friends to escape safely, without harming the fox. The muted colors and textured feel to Windham's artwork lends the illustrations a country feel that suits the text perfectly. A welcome addition to the fairy-tale genre. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. As Henny Penny shakes her dust cloth this way and that, round and round, an acorn falls on her head. Convinced that the sky is falling, she goes off to tell the king, enlisting the usual suspects: Ducky Lucky, Cocky Locky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey. But Foxy Loxy leads them to his den, where an alert Henny Penny realizes through observation (bones and feathers scattered about a single plate) that he plans to eat them for lunch. She lulls Foxy Loxy into a nap, and she and all her feathered friends make their escape. A prologue notes that this may not be the usual version but is nonetheless the true one (Henny Penny told me ). Appealing, only slightly anthropomorphized animals populate the scenes, which are richly burnished with late-summer reds, golds, russets, and greens. Whether little ones know this story's lead worrywart as Henny Penny or Chicken Little, they'll respond to the urgent refrain and to the message about recognizing what is right in front of your nose. --GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright 2006 Booklist