Chicken in School

by Adam Lehrhaupt, Shahar Kober (Illustrator)

Overview

Join Zoey the chicken for a tour of her unusual classroom in this celebration of creativity, friendship, and tasty snacks. When Zoey decides to turn the barn into a school and become a teacher, everyone in the barnyard learns that the best part of school is using your imagination.

Named one of the best books to help kids get ready for a new school year by Brightly.com, which commented: "Zoey the chicken wants to be a teacher, so she invites her farm friends to join her in a new school. Animal imaginations run wild as Zoey introduces her new students to all the fun that learning has to offer."

From the hilarious author-illustrator duo that brought you Chicken in Space, this story about playful approaches to activities like reading, math, and recess will inspire any young adventurer to get excited for school.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062364135
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/20/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Adam Lehrhaupt is an award-winning author who has traveled to six continents, performed on Broadway, and lived on a communal farm. Adam currently lives near Philadelphia with his wife, two sons, and two crazy dogs. Visit him at www.adamlehrhaupt.com.

Shahar Kober is an illustrator and art director based in Israel. Shahar holds a degree in design and now teaches illustration for animation. His favorite projects often include adventurous animals. You can visit him online at www.skober.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2017
Having conquered the skies in Chicken in Space, Lehrhaupt’s poultry protagonist, Zoey, steps into the role of teacher at a barnyard school. Not every animal is convinced of Zoey’s qualifications or curriculum (“Books are for reading! Crayons are for coloring! And you can’t skip math!” protests Clara the cow), but Zoey’s energy and outside-the-box thinking win the (school) day. Kober’s grainy, posterlike images manage to feel vintage and contemporary in one fell swoop, and readers will respect the outside-the-box wisdom in Zoey’s assertion that books are for “building imagination” and crayons for “creating adventures.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Humor abounds in the appealing digital art… The short text makes this a good readaloud for prospective students, who will learn there’s more to school than snacks. — Booklist

From the Publisher

Humor abounds in the appealing digital art… The short text makes this a good readaloud for prospective students, who will learn there’s more to school than snacks.

Booklist

Humor abounds in the appealing digital art… The short text makes this a good readaloud for prospective students, who will learn there’s more to school than snacks.

Booklist

08/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Zoey, the chicken with a big heart and a bigger imagination; her friend Sam the pig; and their other barnyard friends, Clara the cow, Henry the dog, and Pip the mouse are back in this follow up to Chicken in Space. This time, snack-obsessed Sam dreams of going to school, largely because "There are snacks at school." Zoey, being the good and loyal friend she is, sets off to make Sam's dream happen. She sets up the barn as a classroom—and proves to be a great teacher. After building a fort out of books, drawing pictures with crayons, and a quick math lesson from Clara, Zoey finally presents Sam with the pie he's been seeking all day. When Sam is asked which part of school he liked best he answers, "Everything! Because I was with you." To which Zoey responds, "If you thought that was fun, wait until you try recess." Kober's softly hued illustrations add humor through the facial expressions and expertly capture the specific personalities of each barnyard character, carried over from the previous book as well. This is sweet tale of friendship, school and appreciating your friends—quirks and all. VERDICT Give to fans of the first installment or youngsters with first-time or back-to-school jitters. This works well as a read-aloud or one-on-one.—Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2017-05-15
Fresh from an adventure in space (Chicken in Space, 2016), Zoey the chicken this time helps her pig, Sam, achieve his dream of attending school. Of course, a makeshift classroom in the barn with Zoey as the teacher isn't exactly what Sam had in mind, but as long as there's snack, he's in. Clara the cow is as pessimistic as ever, but studious, glasses-wearing Pip the mouse is looking forward to reading, and artistic Henry the dog to coloring. But Zoey's lessons are rather unconventional: books are for "building imagination," and crayons are for "creating adventures." Kober's digital illustrations show a castle made of books for the former, and for the latter, the accessorized students pose in front of crayon-drawn backdrops depicting space, a circus, and a pirate ship. Zoey's next direction leaves both Clara and Sam up in arms: math simply cannot be skipped, nor can snack, even if the alternative is recess. Clara saves the day with an addition problem involving pies, and Zoey pitches in a real pie to satisfy Sam, and all agree that school is the best…because they are together. The animals' postures and expressive faces are great fun, especially practical Clara's, and the other three students throw themselves wholeheartedly into the fun. What will this quirky chicken plan next? (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews