The Chicken Squad

A retired search-and-rescue dog and "four fuzzy little chicks" team up with one terrified squirrel in a hilarious escapade. The audiobook is made even more entertaining by the expert pacing and inflection of narrators Adam Grupper and Michele O. Medlin. Moving swiftly from solemn to silly, the two depict the serious dog J.J. Tully and the exuberantly youthful chicks to perfection. With an awesome knowledge of shapes and a clever knack for solving mysteries, the chicks are on the case for Squirrel, who is scared witless by something BIG in the backyard. Though Squirrel has an excellent vocabulary, his shape knowledge is poor, so he's no help at all to the detective chicks, and, eventually, J.J. Tully must step in to avert a calamity. It's all great fun for listeners who are ready for short chapter books. S.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-Four chicks-Dirt, Sugar, Sweetie, and Poppy-and their timid squirrel friend, Tail, are out to solve a mystery. Tail claims he's seen something strange and scary. Getting him to come up with a better description, however, is a challenge. Was it a UFO? The Chicken Squad is determined to discover the truth. This may involve a sketch artist, grassy camouflage, a sure knowledge of both shapes and colors, and a frontal assault on the intruder. It will definitely involve an eye-rolling dog, misunderstandings, and chuckle-worthy histrionics. Adam Grupper and Michele O. Medlin go to town in performing the story, creating unique voices for each character and adding just the right amount of verbal grins to the tongue-in-cheek humor. This short chapter book is the aptly subtitled "First Misadventure" of our plucky heroes, and is sure to bring a grin to all listeners.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.