Chicken Feathers

Starred review from April 1, 2008
Gr 3-5-Much of the tension in this charming, witty chapter book centers around the question of whether Josh's pet hen, Semolina, really does talk. After all, she talks to Josh and to Josh alone. This wouldn't be such a problem if Semolina didn't have such important information to impart concerning a fox who has formed a gang to extort protection money (in the form of eggs) from the hens in the number three sheddozens of eggs a day. This is a loss the Miller family can ill afford, what with Elizabeth confined to the hospital for three months awaiting the birth of a new baby. As Tucker tells his son, "Your mom and I are not good layers, and that's the truth of it." Then there's the added complication that cranky, opinionated Semolina has developed a taste for Grandma's home brew and refuses to divulge what she knows unless she's paid off in "brown water." Tucker is as unable to believe in a tippling hen as a loquacious one and disconcertingly seems to suspect Josh of sampling the liquor. Grandma just plain dislikes the hen. It all comes to a head when Semolina is attacked and carried off by the fox. Family and friends rally round and Josh is able to appreciate how loved and supported he has been all along. Elliott's personality-laden pencil illustrations extend readers' sense of Cowley's characters. The image of Tucker, scratching his head as he tries to negotiate the tricky emotional ground between sympathy for Josh and respect for prickly Grandma, speaks volumes. Original, well-crafted, and touching, Cowley's story begs to be read aloudover and over again."Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY"

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