Book Review of Chicken Talk Around the World
The Children’s Book Review
Written by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Illustrated by Pierr Morgan
Ages 2-5 | 32 Pages
Publisher: Sasquatch Books | ISBN: 9781632172914
What to expect: Diversity, World Culture, Farm Animals
Cluck, cluck, chicken!
Or is it, co-co-ro-co? Or ko-ko? Or ku-ka?
Are these all the same chickens?! What is going on here?
Welcome to our amazing world, where chickens everywhere speak the same chicken-y language, but we hear and interpret them differently! Author Carole Lexa Schaefer takes us on a tour of cultures across our vast planet, peeking into farm life in different countries. Children will delight in seeing how chickens cluck in American versus their Mexican neighbors, as well as Japan, India, Kenya, and France. What a delightful way to learn about other cultures and how we experience the same things in different, and similar ways.
Illustrator Pierr Morgan captures the stately chickens in beautiful and colorful pictures that engage young readers. His fabulous representations of grandmothers and grandchildren from around the world create an inclusive and exciting narrative that pairs well with Schaefer’s clever story. As a bonus, there are also descriptions of the different cultures and different ways to say words like Grandma, rooster, and chicken.
I loved how the book also captured the bond between grandmothers and their grandchildren. Each representation of grandmothers and grandchildren conveyed that similar loving relationship, no matter the country, even if their clothes and language seemed a world apart. What a fun way to show children how we have much more in common than we may realize, using chickens as a (very true) metaphor.
This is an excellent book for the classroom to begin a conversation about world-views and different cultures. It would also be great for families at home to start those conversations with preschool children. How are people, who may look and sound different than you, also similar to you? How can we relate to what we have in common, versus what we have that is different?
And who doesn’t love adorable chickens? As a parent, I enjoyed learning the different versions of chicken talk, right along with my kiddos. Chicken Talk Around the World is a fun, playful, and informative read!
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About the Author
CAROLE LEXA SCHAEFER is an award-winning children’s book author. She has written over thirty picture books and easy readers published with four major publishing companies. As an educator, as well as an author, Carole is comfortable and experienced in giving presentations to both children and adults on her books and related topics. In addition to many classroom visits, she has presented to the American Library Association, the Association of American English Teachers, the Conference of Whole Language Teachers, and the International Reading Association. She is also the author of The Children’s Garden, illustrated by Pierr Morgan.
About the Illustrator
PIERR MORGAN has published extensively with major publishers. She grew up in Seattle and now lives in Spokane, WA. She’s the illustrator of The Children’s Garden, written by Carole Lexa Schaefer.
Visit her at PierrMorgan.com and on Instagram @pierrmorgan.
Chicken Talk Around the World was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like The Chicken Talk Around the World by following our reviews and articles tagged with Chickens, Culture Around The World, and Farm Animals.
