Book Description
for Henny-Penny by Jane Wattenberg
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Henny-Penny is the silly chicken who determined that the sky was falling after being hit on the head by a flying object. She enlists others such as Cocky‑Locky and Ducky‑Lucky to go and tell the king. But children--even the youngest--always recognize that Henny-Penny was beaned by an acorn or two, not an object from outer space. Wattenberg juxtaposes expert photo compositions with visual puns galore in this inventive adaptation that includes images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, and crazy traffic signs. As always, the villainous fox has the best lines, and here they are especially lively. Foxy‑Loxy addresses the odd assortment of frightened poultry with such zingers as “Going bonkers, honkers?” and “Throw in the towel, fowl.” Any child resilient enough to enjoy having several characters disappear--forever--into Foxy‑Loxy’s den will relish this dynamic, comic edition of a time‑tested favorite. Henny-Penny survives, but not without Wattenberg’s spin on the group hysteria Ms. Penny’s actions provoked. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2001. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2001. Used with permission.