George Shannon

The central idea of “Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar” is a very important lesson for children and even adults. The message is that it takes many people from different places with different abilities to help one another and make things we all enjoy. It causes children reading to think about all the hard work and partnership that goes into something as simple as baking and eating cookies. Throughout the book the author chronicles all the hard work that goes into cookie production show more such as harvesting sugarcane, gathering eggs, churning butter, and even making oven mitts and cookie sheets. Why I liked the book so much is that each time the author described an effort that went into making cookies the person doing the work was always of a different ethnicity and in a different part of the world. If the illustrations had only depicted a certain ethnic group the book’s message of partnership would not have been so strong. I also liked this book because it even got me, as a 20 year old adult, amazed at all the hard work that goes into making cookies. “Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar” was a fantastic book that balanced a practical message with a very insightful one. show less

Mama Hen and her three little chicks are heading to the garden for breakfast just as they do every day, when they find a nasty surprise: a big scary dog lies between them and the garden! Mama Hen is ready to give up and wait for chicken feed (blech!) but her chicks aren't so fast to retreat, especially Little Chick. What chance does Little Chick have against a big dog though? Plenty when she puts her mind to it!

While the text doesn't rhyme or have strict rhythm throughout, there is an show more internally rhythmic feel to it that makes it fun to read aloud. Kids loved the barking of the dog and will be happy to join you both with the barking and the tippy-toe refrain (which I said in a teeny-tiny voice), but make sure your dog barking isn't too scary as tolerance for that will vary from audience to audience; I definitely saw a difference between toddlers and preschool, but I suspect familiarity with dogs may be a bigger factor. The fact that the smallest chick solves the problem when older siblings and even mom couldn't figure out how to get past the dog will suit young listeners to a T. Laura Dronzek's acrylic illustrations are bright, cheerful and despite only using a few lines, her chicken faces are very expressive. The layouts are varied, with some spreads being full-bleed while others feature spot art and yet others have framed scenes, although the frames don't always hold all the action, sometimes the characters break right out of the frame. This was an excellent choice for preschool, but I'd only use it for toddlers as a first book and if all the rest of my books were shorter.

Used for Chickens on the Loose Storytime - Terrific Ts and Preschool 2/2/2010. show less

As Shannon says in his forward, the illustrations are "vibrant, fresh, immediate" but, to my taste, just a bit too much for early spring (they speak of July to me). But they are definitely appealing in their own way. The verses are, of course, lovely & sharp.

I'm not crazy about the illustrations, but the story falls in the great trickster tradition which is always fun. And there's a dance-y refrain that's easy to learn and repeat.