Chicken Big

Chicken Big is a (you guessed it!) giant chicken. Throughout the book, the other chickens can't seem to figure out what he is ("he's an elephant!", "he's a sweater!"). The other chickens do not allow him in the coop until the very end when they find out that he is, in fact, a chicken.

I really loved the illustrations in this book and thought this book was cute! ( )

Chicken Big is a humungous chick born in an itty-bitty coop, on a teeny little farm, and the other (very small, definitely not too bright) chickens don't know what to make of him. Could he be an elephant? Definitely too big to be a chicken, anyway! Chicken Big protects them each time they panic about something, keeping them dry in the rain, for example (could he be an umbrella?). After he rescues their eggs from the fox, the chickens finally realize that “only one thing could be so smart, so kind, so warm, and so brave.... a chicken!” Winner of a 2011 E.B. White Read-Aloud Picture Book Honor Award, this is a fun story for preschool to grade two, who will enjoy the silly antics of the little chickens. ( )

This book is about a chicken who is very unique. He happens to be very large and not small like the other chickens. The other chickens keep trying to guess what he is and suggest things like, elephant, sweater, squirrel, and umbrella. It is only until the big chicken rescues their eggs do they realize that he is actually a chicken. This book would be great to teach that be different is okay and that people should be treated the same way. Also, this book shows how writing sizes is written. For example, little rooster, small chicken, smaller chicken and smallest chicken. ( )

Kids love this book. I think it has possibilities for a readers theater production. ( )

With an artistic style reminiscent of Looney Tunes, Keith Graves' "Chicken Big" showcases the benefits of being unique and kindhearted, even in the face of ridicule. When a tin hen lays an egg bigger than anything in comparison, the local coop becomes hysterical over what kind of animal might be inside. Once hatched, the humongous chick becomes misidentified as an elephant, a squirrel, and even an umbrella. The theme of being open to someone who looks different permeates through the light-hearted tale. ( )