It’s rare I review picture books, not because I don’t read them, I do all the time. This elementary school librarian might have officially left the building, but it doesn’t mean my love for outstanding picture stories has left my heart and soul. Besides, I have a grandchild entering kindergarten and I will volunteer read fun stories in his class just as I have with his siblings’ classes.I have just acquired two such outstanding and utterly hilarious books that deserve recognition – and I can hardly wait to share them with kids! The first is “Three Hens and a Peacock”. Peacock gets dumped at a farm and finds that he is the center of attention as people stop at the farmer’s stand and gawk. The three hens however, discover they are quite jealous of the beautiful popular peacock and are ticked because all he has to do is strut his stuff and do nothing around the farm. The hens decide they must gussy themselves up to garner the same fabulous attention, and send Peacock into the henhouse to be useful and lay a few eggs. But things don’t go quite as they expected…The illustrations in “Three Hens…” are adorable and funny! Read it over and over and you will discover something else that will make you laugh! The story is spot-on fun; or you can turn it into the important life lesson of not trying to be something you’re not.Extending this lesson, I wouldn’t hesitate to read it to older children, even teens, and let them tell me what lesson(s) they see in the hens and Peacock; and of course, how does it apply to their lives. Excellent food for thought!Read it as a funny story, or read it for a life lesson. Either way, this book is not to be missed and an absolute keeper in my personal library. 5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the illustrations, and 5 stars for the outstanding teaching moments it brings!(BTW- my second favorite story is “The Day the Crayons Quit”.) Book #2Three Hens and the Peacock are both hard workers but they think of one another as slacking off and under estimate each other’s job. This book is really funny because it shows how even animals have different perspective on another group of animals. The book is appropriate for children that have knowledge about friendship and conflicts. I think this book can appeal to both children as well as adults. The moral of the story is more than just fighting and making up. All of the interactions between the hens, peacock, and other animals are taken place on the farm. The illustration in the book is very simple and so are the colors. Solid colors are used such as red and secondary colors are rarely used. The darkness and brightness of the green, blue, or red is also considered in the illustrations. The drawing of the animals looks realistic. Background illustrations do not stand out as much such as the blue sky; the sky is not completely blue, but there are sponges of light blue and dark blue. Stroke lines on the grass also do not stand out because of its curvy light effect. What helped to tell the story with the illustration are the eyes in these animals. Wherever the cow, dog, peacock, or hens are looking, it captures the affect that is going on. Because the setting is taken place on a farm, there are opportunities to explore different animals not just the hens and the peacock, even though the title only presented two of those animals. There are more dynamic to colors when there are different animals to consider on the pages.Author: Lester L. LaminackIllustrator: Henry ColeTitle: Three Hens and A PeacockPublisher: Peachtree PublishersYear of Publication: 2011ISBN: 978-1561455645Genre: Modern FantasyAward: 2012 Children's Choice Book Award for Grades K-2Age: 5 years and up
What do You think about Three Hens And A Peacock (2011)?
Children's Book Council award winner. Themes: being yourself, appreciate individual talents
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