Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck, by Brian Yanish/Illustrated by Jess Pauwels, (March 2019, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $17.99, ISBN: 9781492665205
Ages 4-8
Avast, me hearties! If you love pirates (who doesn’t?), and you enjoy chickens (c’mon, they’re cute), Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck will speak to you and your storytime. Lily is a chicken with greater aspirations than pecking around at the farm, so when pirates invade her farm, she’s all in for a life on the high seas! The chickens even overthrow the pirates one night, and Lily finds herself in charge of an all-chicken pirate crew. Changing her name to Redfoot, she starts enjoying bossing everyone around a little too much – will she shape up before her crew sends her for walk on the plank?
Pirate Chicken is fun, upbeat, and just plain silly, feel-good storytelling. The colors are bright and bold, with boldly outlined figures. Lily sports a Jolly Roger-embellished pirate hat, and a bright red vest, for extra giggles. And what better craft to add to a pirate storytime, but pirate hats? Teach them the old sea shanty “Blow the Man Down” and you’re set for a Pirate Readaloud!
Mom Read It 