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Blue Chicken
In this deceptively simple picture book, author-illustrator Deborah Freedman has created an irresistible character that springs to life and wreaks havoc in a farmyard with a pot of blue paint. The innocent chicken just wants to help, but things get worse and worse-and bluer and bluer--the more she tries. Playing with colors and perspective, and using minimal text, this richly layered story reveals new things to see and laugh about with each reading.
34 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2011
9 people are currently reading
1395 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Freedman
14 books209 followersOnce upon a time, I was an architect. But now I'd much rather build worlds in books. :)
I am the author and illustrator of 12 of them, featuring protagonists that include an earthworm searching for its purpose in life, a house that dreams of its origins, and a character that is almost too shy to appear in its own book.
My stories have been translated into ten different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. I live in a colorful house in Connecticut, where I'm always busy at work on my next books.
I love reading books and telling you about them; I hate rating them! Let's just say that if I didn't like a book, it isn't here at all.
Website: www.deborahfreedman.net
—with tons of free resources for readers, and a sign-up for my eNewsletter
Bluesky: @DeborahFreedman.net
Facebook: Deborah Freedman, Author & Illustrator
Instagram, Threads: @FreedmanIllustrates
—stop by and say hi!
I am the author and illustrator of 12 of them, featuring protagonists that include an earthworm searching for its purpose in life, a house that dreams of its origins, and a character that is almost too shy to appear in its own book.
My stories have been translated into ten different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. I live in a colorful house in Connecticut, where I'm always busy at work on my next books.
I love reading books and telling you about them; I hate rating them! Let's just say that if I didn't like a book, it isn't here at all.
Website: www.deborahfreedman.net
—with tons of free resources for readers, and a sign-up for my eNewsletter
Bluesky: @DeborahFreedman.net
Facebook: Deborah Freedman, Author & Illustrator
Instagram, Threads: @FreedmanIllustrates
—stop by and say hi!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
August 5, 2015
Blue Chicken is certainly an adorable and fun book visually. The Blue Chicken is especially endearing and it's so captivating when everything turns blue. I'm not sure the story itself really won me over. It started out so cute, but all those disgruntled farm animals just getting mad about everything seemed to put a damper on things and I guess I wanted an outcome more imaginative and unusual than everything going back to the way it was (though I suppose there's something to be said for the Blue Chicken righting a "wrong."). Maybe I'm just comparing it too closely (unfairly so) with A Perfectly Messed-Up Story whose message of finding unexpected inspiration and joy in artistic mishaps I found a bit more refreshing.
April 13, 2011
Call it barnyard self-actualization. Too heavy an idea for a picture book? Fine. How about breaking down the barn’s fourth wall? Or nine barnyard characters in search of an illustrator? However you want to couch it, I think we can probably state for the record that by this point any picture book that shows drawn characters taking on a life of their own is fairly par for the course. It’s not a particularly new or shocking idea. Mischievous chickens are also par for the course. No one can be all THAT surprised by their antics. That said, though these are ideas that make it into children’s books from time to time, until now I’ve not seen anyone specifically combine the two into a single book. Blue Chicken turns out to be the natural descendant of these two notions. Part barnyard antics, part surreal adventure, Deborah Freedman at last returns with a picture book that uses a minimum of words to create for us a fairly complex notion.
On a rainy day on a desk in a home sits an unfinished painting of a sleepy barnyard scene. Curious, one of the chickens in the picture notices the nearby jars of paint just outside of the frame. Unfortunately for her, this natural curiosity leads to an unprecedented spill that threatens to cover every animal in the picture. The ducklings are fairly cool about it, but the other creatures are distinctly displeased. In her effort to make things right, the chicken comes across a clear liquid that manages to wipe out all the unwanted blue except in the sky above. Content, the animals settle down back again. Only the final image in the book suggests where the chicken might be poking her nosy little beak next.
Now normally when drawn characters take their lives into their own hands, the story makes it very clear that these are characters in a book, breaking free of the shackles of the printed page. What’s interesting about Deborah Freedman’s book is that she prefers to imagine worlds where people do the drawing, coloring, and painting. In her previous book, Scribble, the drawings of two little girls come to life and get a little wild across the page. Likewise, in Blue Chicken it’s a drawing on a barnyard that contains all the requisite characters. Freedman isn’t tempted to challenge the very notion of reading a book like David Wiesner did in The Three Pigs or Mordecai Gerstein in A Book. Her interest seems more focused on what our imagination’s characters are capable of, rather than the characters dreamed up by the third party. I like the way she thinks.
There’s a great deal of joy and action to this book as well. I can’t imagine what technique Freedman tapped into for this title, but it sure feels like real watercolors on the page. There’s a splatter technique at work here that wouldn’t be impossible to replicate on a computer (paging William Low) but at this point in our development I have yet to see a computer replicate the sheer randomness of askew paint droplets as beautifully as we find here. Nor the feathering of the edges of the paint as it climbs up the chicken’s body. Nor the sheer messy layering of the paint as it dapples the other chickens’ torsos. Limited, in a sense, to a single color the book doesn’t contain the sheer mind-blowing splatter pandemonium of I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More but Freedman still uses the color she has to create wonderful little moments of action. From the splash of the chicken’s feet in the blue paint sea to the strange action splatter that almost resembles angry animals when she finds that she is “Sincerely sorry”, for such a seemingly simple book Freedman has a lot to play around with here.
Now there is one moment in this book that may cause a little confusion. Folks with a knowledge of painting may parse it better than a five-year-old. At one point the blue chicken is rightfully accused of some pretty wanton destruction. Apologetic, she discovers a glass jar containing a clear liquid and some paintbrushes. When the chicken topples this particular jar, out spills a kind of substance that washes all the animals and their settings (with the exception of their sky) clean as a whistle. The word “turpentine” is never invoked. It’s a big word. It might not fit in a book that uses sentences this simple. Freedman is very careful with her word choices, you can tell. There’s not a syllable out of place or an unwanted term hovering anywhere. With that in mind, I would have liked at least some vague or glossed over explanation of what the liquid was up to. Though, to be honest, it may be enough for kids to simply understand that this glass jar contained something powerful enough to cleanse away the fowl’s colorful mischief.
Sometimes in my library I’ll run across a patron with a particularly specific request. “I need a picture book that’s just about the letter T”. “I need a picture book about the history of Persia”. Slightly easier, “I need a picture book about the color blue.” Bingo. Until now I might have only been able to come up with Jim Averbeck's In a Blue Room or maybe Blue 2 by David A. Carter. Blue Chicken will have to be slotted in there first and foremost now. Playful and surreal without getting so kooky that it loses its audience, Freedman knows how to write a picture book that’s bound to get kids and their parental units reading and rereading over and over and over again.
For ages 4-8.
On a rainy day on a desk in a home sits an unfinished painting of a sleepy barnyard scene. Curious, one of the chickens in the picture notices the nearby jars of paint just outside of the frame. Unfortunately for her, this natural curiosity leads to an unprecedented spill that threatens to cover every animal in the picture. The ducklings are fairly cool about it, but the other creatures are distinctly displeased. In her effort to make things right, the chicken comes across a clear liquid that manages to wipe out all the unwanted blue except in the sky above. Content, the animals settle down back again. Only the final image in the book suggests where the chicken might be poking her nosy little beak next.
Now normally when drawn characters take their lives into their own hands, the story makes it very clear that these are characters in a book, breaking free of the shackles of the printed page. What’s interesting about Deborah Freedman’s book is that she prefers to imagine worlds where people do the drawing, coloring, and painting. In her previous book, Scribble, the drawings of two little girls come to life and get a little wild across the page. Likewise, in Blue Chicken it’s a drawing on a barnyard that contains all the requisite characters. Freedman isn’t tempted to challenge the very notion of reading a book like David Wiesner did in The Three Pigs or Mordecai Gerstein in A Book. Her interest seems more focused on what our imagination’s characters are capable of, rather than the characters dreamed up by the third party. I like the way she thinks.
There’s a great deal of joy and action to this book as well. I can’t imagine what technique Freedman tapped into for this title, but it sure feels like real watercolors on the page. There’s a splatter technique at work here that wouldn’t be impossible to replicate on a computer (paging William Low) but at this point in our development I have yet to see a computer replicate the sheer randomness of askew paint droplets as beautifully as we find here. Nor the feathering of the edges of the paint as it climbs up the chicken’s body. Nor the sheer messy layering of the paint as it dapples the other chickens’ torsos. Limited, in a sense, to a single color the book doesn’t contain the sheer mind-blowing splatter pandemonium of I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More but Freedman still uses the color she has to create wonderful little moments of action. From the splash of the chicken’s feet in the blue paint sea to the strange action splatter that almost resembles angry animals when she finds that she is “Sincerely sorry”, for such a seemingly simple book Freedman has a lot to play around with here.
Now there is one moment in this book that may cause a little confusion. Folks with a knowledge of painting may parse it better than a five-year-old. At one point the blue chicken is rightfully accused of some pretty wanton destruction. Apologetic, she discovers a glass jar containing a clear liquid and some paintbrushes. When the chicken topples this particular jar, out spills a kind of substance that washes all the animals and their settings (with the exception of their sky) clean as a whistle. The word “turpentine” is never invoked. It’s a big word. It might not fit in a book that uses sentences this simple. Freedman is very careful with her word choices, you can tell. There’s not a syllable out of place or an unwanted term hovering anywhere. With that in mind, I would have liked at least some vague or glossed over explanation of what the liquid was up to. Though, to be honest, it may be enough for kids to simply understand that this glass jar contained something powerful enough to cleanse away the fowl’s colorful mischief.
Sometimes in my library I’ll run across a patron with a particularly specific request. “I need a picture book that’s just about the letter T”. “I need a picture book about the history of Persia”. Slightly easier, “I need a picture book about the color blue.” Bingo. Until now I might have only been able to come up with Jim Averbeck's In a Blue Room or maybe Blue 2 by David A. Carter. Blue Chicken will have to be slotted in there first and foremost now. Playful and surreal without getting so kooky that it loses its audience, Freedman knows how to write a picture book that’s bound to get kids and their parental units reading and rereading over and over and over again.
For ages 4-8.
March 12, 2012
Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman is a very clever take on how a picture can tell a story. The misadventure and fun splashes across the pages when a chicken spills a jar of blue paint changing her world to blue. Can she “undo the blue”?
Ms. Freedman uses words sparingly, but oh so admiringly! Each word and phrase colors the story with energy, playfulness, and intelligence. My favorites were—peevish, toppled, and sincerely. Words that felt wonderful rolling around on my tongue!
A creative tale about bringing art to the page or art to life! ;)
3/11/12
Ms. Freedman uses words sparingly, but oh so admiringly! Each word and phrase colors the story with energy, playfulness, and intelligence. My favorites were—peevish, toppled, and sincerely. Words that felt wonderful rolling around on my tongue!
A creative tale about bringing art to the page or art to life! ;)
3/11/12
August 30, 2019
An almost-perfectly realized barnyard painting sits waiting for its final touches, when one of the chickens depicted therein breaks free and decides to help, upsetting the pot of blue paint in the process, and coloring everything the wrong shade. Can she set things right, when all of the other creatures come complaining...?
A meta-fictional barnyard tale, Blue Chicken is a book I found more appealing from a visual perspective, than from a textual one. In fact, I think it would work quite well as a wordless picture-book, so clearly do the paintings communicate the story of the chicken and her accidental experiment with the color blue. That said, this was still an engaging title, one I would recommend to young would-be artists, as well as to those looking for picture-books of a meta-fictional nature.
A meta-fictional barnyard tale, Blue Chicken is a book I found more appealing from a visual perspective, than from a textual one. In fact, I think it would work quite well as a wordless picture-book, so clearly do the paintings communicate the story of the chicken and her accidental experiment with the color blue. That said, this was still an engaging title, one I would recommend to young would-be artists, as well as to those looking for picture-books of a meta-fictional nature.
October 6, 2011
This vibrant picture book plays with color and perspective as well as characters who leave the flat page and enter the real world. The picture is almost finished when one of the chickens in the picture pops her head out. She then stands up and walks over to the paint pots that are waiting to finish the picture. When the chicken peeks into the blue paint, she accidentally tips it over and ends up painting herself. She is joined by a little duckling and then more who splash around in the new blue puddle, turning themselves and the cat who walked past blue. Soon all of the animals are blue. Now what can be done to turn them all back to normal?
There is a wonderful playfulness about this title. Even the grumpy animals end up enjoying the escapade. At the same time, there are lots of options to discuss colors, perspective, and art. The book has real depth to it, allowing it to be read just as a cute story, or used more seriously with children.
The words are simple and try to stay out of the way, allowing the art to really shine here. And shine it certainly does. It dazzles and glows, inviting young readers into the humor of the book and revealing a magical quality that is lovely. From the freshness of the first spill of the blue to the sogginess and flatness that results, there is an exploration of the media here right on the page.
Highly recommended, this is one of my favorite picture books of the year. It is a charming jewel of a picture book that is fun, silly, yet offers plenty to learn. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
There is a wonderful playfulness about this title. Even the grumpy animals end up enjoying the escapade. At the same time, there are lots of options to discuss colors, perspective, and art. The book has real depth to it, allowing it to be read just as a cute story, or used more seriously with children.
The words are simple and try to stay out of the way, allowing the art to really shine here. And shine it certainly does. It dazzles and glows, inviting young readers into the humor of the book and revealing a magical quality that is lovely. From the freshness of the first spill of the blue to the sogginess and flatness that results, there is an exploration of the media here right on the page.
Highly recommended, this is one of my favorite picture books of the year. It is a charming jewel of a picture book that is fun, silly, yet offers plenty to learn. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
October 3, 2014
For me, the illustrations are everything for this book. I love them! They are adorable, clever, talented, humorous, and detailed enough to keep a child (toddler and up) quite entertained in a lap-read or read-alone. In a storytime (probably for preschool age), if the kids can see you could have them tell you what they observe in the pictures.
Very fun story, and I love it when there is much more than what is being said.
10/17/12 I really wanted to try this in a storytime, just to see. But I don't think I did it justice. I think the older kids enjoyed it. The new, younger kids liked all the blue and saying "Blue!" with the others. Overall the kids liked the book. They didn't seem to quite get the ending. But they liked seeing the big mess made and then seeing it cleaned up. (Used in a birds theme.)
9/24/14: Used in my art theme. Went well. I have a younger crowd now, but this still seemed to work. They followed the story and they caught on about the sky and barn at the end.
Very fun story, and I love it when there is much more than what is being said.
10/17/12 I really wanted to try this in a storytime, just to see. But I don't think I did it justice. I think the older kids enjoyed it. The new, younger kids liked all the blue and saying "Blue!" with the others. Overall the kids liked the book. They didn't seem to quite get the ending. But they liked seeing the big mess made and then seeing it cleaned up. (Used in a birds theme.)
9/24/14: Used in my art theme. Went well. I have a younger crowd now, but this still seemed to work. They followed the story and they caught on about the sky and barn at the end.
October 9, 2013
Blue Chicken is a fantastically fun read aloud that is sure to give children the belly giggles watching all the colorful mayhem unfold. One of the chickens residing in the newly drawn farm wishes to help continue the illustrator’s work by painting the barn a beautiful blue. Sadly his good intentions cause nothing but chaos and the animals are furious at the mess chicken has made. Thankfully chicken is able to find a way to undo the ocean of blue and set things right.
Deborah Freedman love of color and perspective is stunningly represented in everything she does. Her characters show wonderful expression and kids will love her simple yet layered stories.
Deborah Freedman love of color and perspective is stunningly represented in everything she does. Her characters show wonderful expression and kids will love her simple yet layered stories.
May 12, 2015
I recently read The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman and a friend suggested I try Blue Chicken also by Freedman.
Like Fish and Snail, this is an adorable, funny and unique picture book. Freedman manages to write and illustrate picture books for kids that stand out in a market that is packed with choices.
I highly recommend both The Story of Fish and Snail and Blue Chicken.
I've also read and loved By Mouse and Frog by Freedman and plan on keeping my eyes peeled for other books by this incredible author and illustrator.
Like Fish and Snail, this is an adorable, funny and unique picture book. Freedman manages to write and illustrate picture books for kids that stand out in a market that is packed with choices.
I highly recommend both The Story of Fish and Snail and Blue Chicken.
I've also read and loved By Mouse and Frog by Freedman and plan on keeping my eyes peeled for other books by this incredible author and illustrator.
August 16, 2015
Adorable pictures; short, cute story about a baby chick who spills blue paint all over a painting of the farm.
What I wrote for Children's Books in the Picture Book Club:
For me, those adorable paintings overcame any deficiencies the story might have, although I thought the story was pretty funny. I loved the little red paint-covered ducklings on the back inside cover gazing out at the newly painted barn.
What I wrote for Children's Books in the Picture Book Club:
For me, those adorable paintings overcame any deficiencies the story might have, although I thought the story was pretty funny. I loved the little red paint-covered ducklings on the back inside cover gazing out at the newly painted barn.
March 14, 2012
This book was gorgeous.
I loved the use of color and how the story integrated the artwork, rather than just being supplemented by it. I thought it was adorable and fun, and while this one didn't really have a "message" or anything (other than water is the great "Undo" with watercolors), it was still a book I very much enjoyed.
I loved the use of color and how the story integrated the artwork, rather than just being supplemented by it. I thought it was adorable and fun, and while this one didn't really have a "message" or anything (other than water is the great "Undo" with watercolors), it was still a book I very much enjoyed.
January 5, 2012
Still smiling about this one - so much joy, mischievousness without any ill-will, silly chicken trying to solve the problems she created, and beautiful beautiful artwork. Loved the movement, the splashes, the gradations of color. Smiles all around.
September 27, 2011
Deborah tricked me and I love to laugh.
December 24, 2024
I am unsure of what the point of this book was.
May 3, 2019
I've read this one multiple times before, but this is the first recorded time.
This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. I love the little chicken who just wants to help and how after he turns everything blue he is sorry and just wants to help make things right. I love how the sky stays blue. I love the line about a perfect day for painting the barn at the end.
This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. I love the little chicken who just wants to help and how after he turns everything blue he is sorry and just wants to help make things right. I love how the sky stays blue. I love the line about a perfect day for painting the barn at the end.
December 10, 2011
Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman is somewhat surreal adventure of a chicken in a picture that wreaks havoc with a pot of blue paint.
Within a picture, a chicken just wants to help within the farmyard scene, but the more she tries, the worse, and bluer everything gets. The chicken and a duckling tip something (turpentine?) that clears away the blue paint. Finally things seem to be under control, until the last page is turned.
The text is minimal, allowing readers to focus on the action.
Blue Chicken plays with colors and perspective. The images appear deceptively simple, while the color splashes look amazingly realistic.
The art has a playful quality, and is both charming and engaging. The many different shades of blue are explored. All the images are fun, especially the original blue paint spill and the final image.
I enjoyed this book, which reminds me at times of Wiesner's The Three Pigs, and Art Max. I also think of the more insistently interrupting little red hen in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. This combination of characters coming alive in a book and having an adventure with paint is imaginative and entertaining. I recommend this for school and public library collections.
For ages 2.5 and up, paint, blue, chickens, farmyards, paintings, farm animals, and fans of Deborah Freedman.
Within a picture, a chicken just wants to help within the farmyard scene, but the more she tries, the worse, and bluer everything gets. The chicken and a duckling tip something (turpentine?) that clears away the blue paint. Finally things seem to be under control, until the last page is turned.
The text is minimal, allowing readers to focus on the action.
Blue Chicken plays with colors and perspective. The images appear deceptively simple, while the color splashes look amazingly realistic.
The art has a playful quality, and is both charming and engaging. The many different shades of blue are explored. All the images are fun, especially the original blue paint spill and the final image.
I enjoyed this book, which reminds me at times of Wiesner's The Three Pigs, and Art Max. I also think of the more insistently interrupting little red hen in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. This combination of characters coming alive in a book and having an adventure with paint is imaginative and entertaining. I recommend this for school and public library collections.
For ages 2.5 and up, paint, blue, chickens, farmyards, paintings, farm animals, and fans of Deborah Freedman.
September 17, 2011
Adorable merging of print and real life! The story begins as a picture of a barn scene is begin painted by an unseen artist. The brown chicken coop is complete along with the chicks and chickens. The artist is going to work on the barn now. One curious chicken eyeballs the blue paint, hops off the painting and decides to 'help' paint the picture. She ends up spilling the blue paint all over the pages and everything becomes a blue watercolored mess!
Goodness that little chicken has caused havic and is so sorry for the mess and wants to 'undo the blue'.
Artistic story line of this cute little chicken getting into trouble and becoming part of the real life scene though he was simply just a part of the painting. The other farm animals follow suit as the blue paint runs across their pages turning them blue as well. The creativity of having the painting come to life, run ammuck and then become a painting again is so fun for curious children. The words and drawings flow together so beautifully and you want to reread the story as soon as you come to the end!
Thanks to Penguin for sending me this book to review and to Deborah Freedman for passing along my information to them. This was a fantastic children' book!
Goodness that little chicken has caused havic and is so sorry for the mess and wants to 'undo the blue'.
Artistic story line of this cute little chicken getting into trouble and becoming part of the real life scene though he was simply just a part of the painting. The other farm animals follow suit as the blue paint runs across their pages turning them blue as well. The creativity of having the painting come to life, run ammuck and then become a painting again is so fun for curious children. The words and drawings flow together so beautifully and you want to reread the story as soon as you come to the end!
Thanks to Penguin for sending me this book to review and to Deborah Freedman for passing along my information to them. This was a fantastic children' book!
February 1, 2012
This is a charming little book. I think this should have been the 2012 Caldecott Winner, or at least an honor book. It is the story of an unfinished farm picture, which includes a cow,a cat, ducks and of course chickens. It is time to finish the picture and a little chicken wants to help! So, she crawls out of the drawing and to the blue paint but instead of helping she tips over the paint and spills it! Now everything is blue! How can she undo the blue? Then she has an idea, the water cup! Now the blue is gone and it is the perfect day for painting the barn.
I loved this book. It was such a simple story but the illustrations really brought it to life. As the little chicken comes out of her drawing to help it feels like she is really out of the book. The splashing of the blue paint is so realistic. Also,no detail is spared as the water is being spilled and the blue is washing off of the animals and mixing with the other colors.
I think that kids would be very receptive to this book just because the story line is simple and easy to follow. The language is something younger children could understand but it would be fun for a group of older kids as well. The way the story and illustrations work together make this book a Caldecott winner to me.
I loved this book. It was such a simple story but the illustrations really brought it to life. As the little chicken comes out of her drawing to help it feels like she is really out of the book. The splashing of the blue paint is so realistic. Also,no detail is spared as the water is being spilled and the blue is washing off of the animals and mixing with the other colors.
I think that kids would be very receptive to this book just because the story line is simple and easy to follow. The language is something younger children could understand but it would be fun for a group of older kids as well. The way the story and illustrations work together make this book a Caldecott winner to me.
July 29, 2011
In this clever book that combines the idea of mischievious chickens with critters that leave the illustration and make their mark on it as their story is told, an artist leaves her almost finished painting to do a different kind of painting. (Think David Wiesner and The Three Pigs.) What a surprise the artist might have been in for had she returned in the middle of the little chicken's artistic experimentation! The curious chicken spills blue ink that spreads all over the place. Once blue has saturated the pages, she looks for a way to undo the damage and spills another liquid onto the drawing--this time, deliberately. I'm not sure young readers will know what the liquid is, but they will certainly enjoy the chain of events started by one curious chicken whose actions make the others "peevish and blue." I always enjoy books with stories that push the boundaries of imagination, which this one surely does. The illustrations have a playful quality and contain all sorts of shades of blue while showcasing some very annoyed animals having been awakened in their pastoral setting.
August 15, 2011
This is such a delightfully, fun, creative read. I love the way Deborah brings her story to life through her paintings. By creating a story that is centered on a painting and then bringing that painting to life within the story is both clever and engaging. It's also unique, as there aren't many children's books I've read that have done this.
Blue Chicken is a story who's illustrations tell most of the story. When a curiously little chicken decides to scamper out of the drawing and over to the jar of blue paint, chaos ensues as everything from the chickens, the duck, the cow, the flowers and the white barn become blue. Looking for away to quickly fix the problem duck and chicken knock over a jar of water which restores everything to their proper colorings.
This adventure is one my children loved and I enjoyed reading along with them. The illustrations are charming, lively and engaging. I'd highly recommend picking this book up when it's out. It's one that will be a huge hit with children of all ages and perfect for school and home settings.
Blue Chicken is a story who's illustrations tell most of the story. When a curiously little chicken decides to scamper out of the drawing and over to the jar of blue paint, chaos ensues as everything from the chickens, the duck, the cow, the flowers and the white barn become blue. Looking for away to quickly fix the problem duck and chicken knock over a jar of water which restores everything to their proper colorings.
This adventure is one my children loved and I enjoyed reading along with them. The illustrations are charming, lively and engaging. I'd highly recommend picking this book up when it's out. It's one that will be a huge hit with children of all ages and perfect for school and home settings.
January 9, 2012
Sometimes I'm just in the mood for reading picture books. There are some great ones out there, some with awesome stories, others with amazing art (and some with both, of course). I stumbled across this book as a link for the We Give Books program; if you read this book online, you'll have an opportunity to give a book to children in need. What a neat idea!
I wasn't expecting much from this short little book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The premise is simple, but the illustrations really bring the story to life. Can the chicken fix the blue mess she's created? You'll have to read the book to find out. (It's only 40 pages, with very little text, so it won't take you very long... unless you get sucked into poring over the cute illustrations!)
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
I wasn't expecting much from this short little book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The premise is simple, but the illustrations really bring the story to life. Can the chicken fix the blue mess she's created? You'll have to read the book to find out. (It's only 40 pages, with very little text, so it won't take you very long... unless you get sucked into poring over the cute illustrations!)
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
August 6, 2013
I saw an image from this book and that was enough to make me want to buy it. I am so not disappointed. This book combines farm animals AND art. Brilliant! The artwork in this book propels the story, but the text is still delightful and simple enough for the youngest of listeners and the youngest of readers. My son as been known to capsize his paints and color more than he intended, so this story is very relatable for him.
Of course, the illustrations are wonderful. As much as I love the helpful, clumsy blue chicken, I think it is the blue-yellow duckling that captured my heart. I highly recommend this adorably whimsical book, especially for preschoolers, whose "help" can sometimes lead to some colorful situations.
Of course, the illustrations are wonderful. As much as I love the helpful, clumsy blue chicken, I think it is the blue-yellow duckling that captured my heart. I highly recommend this adorably whimsical book, especially for preschoolers, whose "help" can sometimes lead to some colorful situations.
October 25, 2012
Summary: In this book chicken just wants to help. But when he tries to help he spills the blue paint and turns EVERYTHING blue! He’s sad and no one is impressed. But chicken cleans up his mess and gets everything back to normal by the end.
Audience: K-2
Appeal: Short and sweet way to talk to kids about helping, making mistakes and cleaning up after themselves.
Implementation: If we were going to be doing a craft in class this would be a cute way to talk to the kids about being careful with the supplies and reminding them that if they make a mistake it can be fixed.
Citation: Freedman, D. (2011). Blue Chicken. New York: Viking.
Audience: K-2
Appeal: Short and sweet way to talk to kids about helping, making mistakes and cleaning up after themselves.
Implementation: If we were going to be doing a craft in class this would be a cute way to talk to the kids about being careful with the supplies and reminding them that if they make a mistake it can be fixed.
Citation: Freedman, D. (2011). Blue Chicken. New York: Viking.
September 16, 2013
This book is absolutely adorable! The illustrations bring the book to life with the use of minimal text. It's about a little chicken that just wants to help paint, but instead, just makes a bigger mess. This story is about painting and it brings the paintings to life within the story. The illustrations are what make the book excellent for kids of all ages. It is a funny, engaging, and lively book to read in the classroom. This is a great book with minimal text so it allows the children to focus on the action in the story. Now I see why it was on the Childrens' Choice Awards list!
Category: Children's Choice Award
Category: Children's Choice Award
December 20, 2011
I'm fascinated with the way Deborah Freedman makes flat, 2-D characters seem to become 3-D in this book, even though they remain solidly 2-D. Love that chicken peeping up from her coop in the beginning. Not to mention they're just adorable anyway, but all the splashes of blue are strategically placed on the chicken, making it even cuter.
Our PreK kiddos learn about one basic color a week at the beginning of the school year. I always include one of my favorites, Nancy Tafuri's Blue Goose, and now this will be a perfect companion.
Our PreK kiddos learn about one basic color a week at the beginning of the school year. I always include one of my favorites, Nancy Tafuri's Blue Goose, and now this will be a perfect companion.
July 7, 2012
Well if ever there was a book... Yes it's all about me isn't it?
I love a book that mixes color and perspective. One that colors outside the lines.
When a character walks out of the picture you KNOW its going to be a great day...hijinks insue!!!
A pot of blue paint gets toppled by a well intentioned chicken, cows turn blue, other chickens go on the rampage, and ducks get quackin'!
the chicken heads for the water jar to try and wash it away.
The blue stays in the sky, but there is a surprise on the back inside cover that's worth the whole read!
I love a book that mixes color and perspective. One that colors outside the lines.
When a character walks out of the picture you KNOW its going to be a great day...hijinks insue!!!
A pot of blue paint gets toppled by a well intentioned chicken, cows turn blue, other chickens go on the rampage, and ducks get quackin'!
the chicken heads for the water jar to try and wash it away.
The blue stays in the sky, but there is a surprise on the back inside cover that's worth the whole read!
Read
September 8, 2016The illustrations are beautiful and I love it. This book is about a little chicken who goes out of his painting and tips over the blue painting, causing every one in the story to turn blue! He the scrambles to undo what he did! I loved the story line and the plot was very cute and creative. I adored this book. This book made me laugh and was just a fun book to read. I would definitely have this book in my classroom. It would be a fun way to lighten up the classroom and have a little fun. I would have the students talk about the events in the story and point out their favorite things.
October 15, 2022
This is a really fun book that blurs the lines between author/narrator, reader, and characters in the book. I was really excited about how it made me flip pages back and forth to see the differences between the drawings to help "read" the story. It uses relatively sparse words but between the words and pictures, I can see students wanting to read this book many times to understand everything that is happening. Then, in the end, you get a totally new meaning for the words at the beginning of the book. I love books like this that make me puzzle and rethink as I read.
June 23, 2011
Art and reality blur in this imaginative picture book. A picture is almost finished . . . a barnyard scene, with a chicken who is eager to help, for it is a perfect day for painting the barn. But the chicken spills a pot of blue paint, which spreads across the barnyard to the dismay of the other animals. When all is at it's bluest, the chicken manages to set things right with . . . water! The results are a little surprising and very satisfying. Lots of fun!
November 7, 2011
We start out this book with a painting of a farm scene and the narrator saying it would be a good day to paint the barn. Well, chicken decides to help and ends up spilling the blue paint and everything in the painting is turned blue!
I liked how chicken thought of a way to correct the problem at the end of the story. Very cute and clever!
I read this to my 4K students this morning and they absolutely loved it!
I liked how chicken thought of a way to correct the problem at the end of the story. Very cute and clever!
I read this to my 4K students this morning and they absolutely loved it!
December 17, 2011
This is an absolutely beautiful book! A chicken in a painting gets into the paint and accidentally turns things blue. As she tries to fix things, she instead makes them worse and more blue until she finally finds a way to get the blue off of everything and into the sky where it belongs. This is a wonderful addition to any art class and is just adorable and a fun story for children. My 9 year old daughter and 12 year old son like Blue Chicken too. Her art would be cute on t-shirts. :)
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