Chicken Joy on Redbean Road

April 2, 2007
Martin (Banjo Granny) and Sweet (Carmine) journey to the land of "Laissez les bons temps rouler" for a story of how zydeco music saves a rooster from the chopping block. A case of chicken measles has left the poor "roo" without a crow, prompting his "nothing but practical" owner to declare that "a roo who won't wake the barnyard is headed for stew-quiet rooster stew." A frantic brown hen, Miss Cleoma, believes all the roo needs is a dose of "music so good he'll remember to sing" and she hops off to recruit the finest fiddler in St. Cecilia Parish for a barnyard bal de maison. This is a somewhat bumpy effort on a few fronts. Martin's Cajun-inflected prose occasionally bogs down with colorful atmosphere. Though Sweet's human characters are a bit bland (the roo's savior falls far short of the build-up he's given), her barnyard creatures-Miss Cleoma in particular-brim with verve. The text makes for a lively read-aloud and there's much to savor in Sweet's quirky, roughhewn mixed media pictures. She cooks up a rich gumbo of perspectives and framings, and her comically expressive poultry cast should have youngsters clucking right up until the roo emits a triumphant "Qwerk-beaucoup-a-doodle-doo!" Ages 4-8.

March 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 2-Louisiana life is good for a sonorous-voiced rooster with a blue head and the brown hen named Miss Cleoma. That is, until a bad bout of chicken measles steals the rooster's crow and makes him ripe for Mrs. Miser's "silent rooster stew." A desperate Miss Cleoma two-steps a "rooster-in-danger dance" down the road, seeking help from Mr. Joe Beebee, the best musician around. Meanwhile, Mrs. Miser's attempts to grab her ax to deal with the rooster are delayed as farmyard animals pitch veggies in front of her (think of the Greek myth of Atalanta and the Golden Apples) that simply must go into the stew first. Mr. Joe Beebee comes to the rescue, gathering neighbors and musicians who converge on Mrs. Miser's house ready to create a music-filled party. The rooster is inspired to crow, Mrs. Miser sells her "seven-vegetable stew" to partygoers, and good times (""Bons temps!"") are had by all. Saturated in Cajun and Creole cadences and sensibilities, this rollicking, multilayered tale is at once lyrical and tongue-in-cheek funny. The playful illustrations are a clever mix of collage and bright watercolors that feature varying perspectives and impressively expressive poultry. The spreads are overlaid with panels of handmade paper containing the pictures, with chickens dancing a red-dotted trail over, under, and around them. The sheer insouciance of both text and art will have readers dancing the two-step and sharing that chicken joy as well."Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 21, 2007
Martin (Banjo Granny) and Sweet (Carmine) journey to the land of "Laissez les bons temps rouler" for a story of how zydeco music saves a rooster from the chopping block. A case of chicken measles has left the poor "roo" without a crow, prompting his "nothing but practical" owner to declare that "a roo who won't wake the barnyard is headed for stew-quiet rooster stew." A frantic brown hen, Miss Cleoma, believes all the roo needs is a dose of "music so good he'll remember to sing" and she hops off to recruit the finest fiddler in St. Cecilia Parish for a barnyard bal de maison. This is a somewhat bumpy effort on a few fronts. Martin's Cajun-inflected prose occasionally bogs down with colorful atmosphere. Though Sweet's human characters are a bit bland (the roo's savior falls far short of the build-up he's given), her barnyard creatures-Miss Cleoma in particular-brim with verve. The text makes for a lively read-aloud and there's much to savor in Sweet's quirky, roughhewn mixed media pictures. She cooks up a rich gumbo of perspectives and framings, and her comically expressive poultry cast should have youngsters clucking right up until the roo emits a triumphant "Qwerk-beaucoup-a-doodle-doo!" Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2007
Miss Cleoma, "a plain brown hen," loves the crowing of the blue-headed rooster, but when he loses his voice after a case of the chicken measles, he is threatened with becoming "quiet rooster stew." Deciding that music will cure him, Cleoma sets out to find Joe Beebee, the best fiddle player there is. Good-natured Joe returns with Cleoma, gathering musically inclined neighbors on the way, and when they play the song "about waltzing on the moon," the blue-headed rooster crows "as if the world were brand new and he was off to see it." Martin's cumulative tale may be overly long, but it has some fine turns of phrase, and Sweet's mixed-media illustrations, picturing exuberant, brightly hued characters on backgrounds of creamy paper, have a buoyancy that elevates the text. An author's note recognizes Louisiana musicians, "who play music so good it could make quiet roosters sing," and the story pays homage to the area and the music with the occasional Cajun phrase.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)