Book Summary:
Henrietta is a chicken who loves to read. She is the only literate farm animal around. Because of this, she is constantly berated for not focusing on the work that is typical of chickens, laying eggs. When a vacation is offered to the rest of the chickens for their hard work, Henrietta begins to suspect something to be a bit fishy. Because of her literacy, she is able to collect enough clues to find her family (along with many other farm animals along the journey) and save them from their "vacation" to the soup factory.
APA Reference of Book:
Jane, M. & Auch, H. (2003). Souperchicken. New York, NY: Holiday House.
Impressions:
After reading this book, I could easily pinpoint the theme of the text: how important it is to read. This of course is an important lesson for young audiences to realize. I loved how this particular text, though obviously intended for young children, included much sentence variety and everyday language. This text did not seem dumbed down simply because of its audience. The illustrations furthered this effort by providing interesting titles to books, wording on feed bags and trucks, graphs offering clues as to what is really going on, etc. While the storyline is playful and interesting to the audience, it also would easily challenge them to further their understanding of farm life, vocabulary, and a variety of other critical thinking skills imperative to reading. I really enjoyed this story and found it to be an excellent example of what children's books can be.
Professional Review:
K-Gr. 2. This latest entry in Auch's popular "poultry parodies"will have educators as well as children applauding its heroine, Henrietta the hen, whose ability to read saves her aunts from becoming the next soup of the day. Henrietta's aunties are going on a wonderful all-expenses-paid vacation--or so they think. But as the truck pulls away, Henrietta notices the sign, "Souper Soup Co."Horrified, she flies into action. She reads the soup company's address from a soup can label at the grocery store, then finds the exact location by reading a map. On her way to free her aunts, she comes across a load of pigs aboard a Saucy Sausage Company truck and some cows headed for the Happy Hamburger Company. After warning the animals about their fate, she implores them to "please learn to read! Reading can save your lives!"The grateful critters get the message, and so will kids. What better messengers than Henrietta and this clever tale, hilariously illustrated in wonderfully expressive, super-silly cartoon pictures. A good choice to celebrate reading during Children's Book Week--or anytime.
Reference:
Review of SouperChicken, by M. Jane & H. Auch. (2003)Booklist, 99(14). Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/
Library Uses:
This text would be such a wonderful intro to the year. The librarian could use this text during orientation or for a read-along to introduce the importance of reading even beyond the classroom.
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