Rebecca Purcell

Superchicken was about a chicken who was in his teen years who was the smartest chicken around. He was in a human society and always felt like an outcast, but he didn’t let that stop him from getting the best grades in his classes. He has a huge imagination and is always trying his best to use that to his ability in his classwork. He has one goal in this book and that is to get into college.
What I like with this book is it has a simple sense of humor but can provide a big message for students. The chicken has the determination to succeed in school, regardless that he is an outcast in school.… (més)

I have mixed feelings about this book.

Chicken, in a blue sweater and shoes, builds a tower out of blocks. Turn the page, and she's SUPER CHICKEN rescuing a dragon from a castle! Each every day experience - building, bath and bed - turns into an adventure for super chicken.

There are a couple cut-outs in the book - on the cover (the black cape and title are actually shiny red) there is a star cut-out in Chicken's cape and cut-outs that give her pupils in her eyes. Small squares are cut out in the blocks that change to castle windows, and a larger cut-out turns the bathtub into a boat. An egg-shaped cut-out on the last page in Chicken's striped bed cover turns into a zebra's body in her dream. The book is a large square, about 8x8, with 8 pages overall.

Verdict: Cute, but the art didn't stand out to me and I'm not sure babies and young toddlers will grasp the superhero concept. I'd pass on this one.

ISBN: 9780545451703; Published 2013 by Cartwheel/Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium… (més)

Chicken’s imagination takes him on extraordinary adventures in this short and sweet board book. Very young children can relate to Chicken’s everyday activities of playing with blocks, taking a bath, and sleeping, but the conceptual conceit of (Super) Chicken’s imagination takes this board book to another level. Super Chicken is illustrated with bold graphic shapes in primary colors with clean lines. Die-cuts don’t detract from this board book’s sturdy construction, and the shapes transition the setting in a technique reminiscent of Laura Seeger’s Green. Shimmering red foil on the front cover creates additional visual appeal, and the “Crossing a road near you!” blurb adds an element of humor. Super Chicken stands out as a non-corporate super hero in a mostly Marvel and DC licensed world, and is a must-have for libraries participating in a hero or superhero themed early literacy summer reading program. Super Chicken could also be sibling-paired with chicken books for an older audience (e.g. Extraordinary Warren), and is overall highly recommended for children under three years old.… (més)