Janet Morgan Stoeke

I was baffled when a new kid joined my Bookaneers book club and declared, firmly, that they ONLY read books about tractors. Nothing else. So I went on a concerted hunt for farm-related books (side note - they changed their mind after I got them interested in some other titles).

I've always loved Janet Morgan Stoeke's simple but funny books and happily added her easy reader series, The Loopy-Coop Hens, back when they first came out. They've now been released in a more traditional easy reader show more format and I pulled a couple, including Snow Hens, to entice my reluctant farmophile.

In this intermediate easy reader, Midge, Pip, and Dot are making a snow hen. Or trying to anyways. When a disagreement arises over who is going to make the beak, Dot takes off to make her own creation while Midge and Pip fight over competing creations of a fox and a snow hen. Which one will Rooster Sam like the best? Meanwhile, Dot has come up with a snow sculpture that they can all appreciate!

The silly squabbles will make readers giggle while perhaps seeing their own sibling quarrels in the hens. Even grown-ups will have a chuckle over Pip's dramatic declarations about art. Stoeke's illustrations are simple but humorous; a quirk of an eyebrow or curve of a beak expresses a world of emotions. The font is bold but a little smaller than a pre-reader, suited to its intermediate level. Most of the text is placed on white backgrounds but a few are against barn walls or other colored backdrops. The one thing an early reader might find confusing is keeping the hens straight during their dialogue.

Verdict: Funny and relatable, this is a strong addition to any easy reader section.

ISBN: 9780448488448; This edition published 2016 by Penguin young readers; Purchased for the library show less

I usually find picture book sized easy readers annoying - where do you shelve them? Who do you give them to? But Janet Morgan Stoeke could never annoy me. Everything she does is amazing!

Her new chicken series, Loopy Coop Hens, is as perfectly delightful and exquisitely simple as the Minerva Louise series. Midge, Dot, and Pip are three chickens who thirst for adventure. Or do they? Only Pip is brave enough to actually climb into the truck and go out into the world! It's an amazing show more adventure!

Until she realizes that, um, she didn't actually go anywhere. But her friends reassure her she was still brave - and they find a much better adventure right at home.

The large type and short, simple sentences, "Pip shuts her eyes. She hides. She waits." are perfect for a beginning reader, but Stoeke's combination of subtly humorous illustrations and tongue-in-cheek text makes this a fun read-aloud for toddlers as well.

Her chickens' silly, scared, and funny expressions are the stars of the story. Like her Minerva Louise characters, she puts an amazing amount of expression into the simple lines of the chickens' faces and bodies.

Verdict: Highly recommended - hand to parents with pre-readers and read aloud to toddlers. The story is divided into chapters, which beginning readers will love!

ISBN: 9780803737082; Published January 2012 by Dial; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less

I love this picture book. It tells the story of a class' visit to their local public library. The illustrations give the impression that is an old book, but it is not. (It reminds me of my "Meg and Tim" early readers from first grade.) The multi-ethnic characters let you know that this is clearly a 21st century children's book. It is a very sweet book to read to preK children as they prepare for their first or 101st trip to the library.

I thought this book was very fun to read and that children would love it. Minerva Louise, a talking chicken, wants to play in the snow, but it is too cold. She adventures around the barn in search of clothing to keep her warm, specifically a hat. The first reason I liked this book is because it was silly. For example, Minerva Louise finds a garden hose and tries to wear it as a scarf and she finds a shoe and tries to wear it as a hat. She also goes outside and sees snow on a trash can and show more car and asks herself why everyone has a fluffy white hat but her, which children would think is very funny and cute. The second reason I liked this book is because Minerva Louise is an endearing and great character. She is adventurous and not afraid to do what she loves to do, even though her friends want to sleep in the barn and not explore with her. I think she is a good example for children and might make them think twice about watching T.V. as opposed to going outside to play after seeing how much fun Minerva Louise had exploring outside in the snow. The big idea of this book is that it is great to be independent and explore your own interests, even if it’s not what everyone else is doing. I think another theme could be making the most of what is presented to you, because Minerva Louise can’t find a true hat but is happy with mittens as a hat because it means she gets to play outside. show less