Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken
by
Kate DiCamillo & Harry Bliss
Order:
USA
Can
HarperCollins, 2008 (2008)
Hardcover
Read an Excerpt
Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch
W
hat happens when a chicken has a case of wanderlust? Well, that may not be a question you've ever asked yourself, but in case you are curious, you may find your answer in the latest picture book by Kate DiCamillo, a Newbery Medal winner who is also the author of
The Tale of Despereaux
and
Because of Winn-Dixie
.
L
ouise has aspirations beyond her chicken coop. She decides she needs adventure, so she set off for worlds unknown. Louise decides to sail the seas, but has a run-in with a band of pirates, who, in several comical scenes, debate whether Louise should be fricasseed, stewed, or made into dumplings. After narrowly escaping with her life, Louise returns to the henhouse and tells the story of where she has been.
Y
ou can't keep a good chicken down for long, though. Louise soon needs to explore the world again. She has several more dangerous adventures, one of which lands her in the circus, almost to be eaten by a lion. While traveling in what seems to be the Middle East, she ends up getting captured and put in cages with other chickens. Louise defies the term
chicken
by implementing a daring escape plan. At the book's end, though, Louise realizes that there is no place like home, and that being safe and comfortable is a good thing.
T
he book is frankly not as compelling as I'd expect from an author with DiCamillo's credentials, but it is a pleasant enough read, particularly if you take the time to enjoy the humorous and detailed drawings.
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