Module 1: The Plot Chicken by Mary Jane and Herm Auch (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: The Plot Chickens is a story about a plucky chicken named Henrietta who loves reading. One day she decides she wants to write her own book. She gets some ideas and help from the other chickens on the farm and from a writing book. She sends her book. The Perils of Maxine, off to the publisher, but she gets rejected. When she publishes the book herself, it gets poor reviews. Just when Henrietta really starts to gets discouraged, she finds that some very important people do like her book.

Citation: Auch, M. J., & Auch, H. (2010). The plot chickens. New York: Holiday House.

Impression: I thought this was an extremely charming book. I love wordplay and puns, and The Plot Chickens is full of both— Henrietta types on a Hunt & Peck typewriter, the librarian suggests she send her book to The Corn Book for review, etc. (I don’t want to give away all the clever little surprises.) I also really enjoyed the illustrations. According to the jacket flap, the illustrations were created by combining oil paintings and digital techniques. The result is crisp illustrations with lots of bold, bright colors and a surprising amount of detail. Another reason I liked the book was because the overall message was that you should never let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams.

Review:
School Library Journal:
K-Gr 2-Henrietta the chicken, star of Souperchicken (Holiday House, 2003), is an avid library user and decides that because reading is so much fun, "writing books must be eggshilarating." She finds a manual of writing rules and creates her own story-with the unsolicited help of the other fowl. When it is rejected by a publisher, Henrietta decides to self-publish. She takes a copy to her librarian, who tells her to send it to The Corn Book Magazine for review. Henrietta gets another rejection: "odoriferous." Then she wanders into the library at storytime and sees that her book was chosen best of the year by the children. Henrietta is asked to read it aloud. "She read with dramatic expression. Of course, all the children heard was BUK, BUK, BUK.." The illustrations, a combination of oil paints and digital technology, are bold and colorful. The pictures are busy, with Henrietta at her typewriter while her friends cavort around her. There are imagined scenes in cloud shapes, word balloons, and jokes aplenty. A droll chicken with a repeating line adds to the humor. This offering works on two levels. It's a funny picture book that could be used as a manual on writing.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

Bates, I. (2009, March 01). [Review of the book The Plot Chickens, by M. Auch and H. Auch]. School Library Journal. 55(3). Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Uses in a library:
An elementary school library could use The Plot Chickens with older students (2nd through 5th graders) who are working on creative writing projects. Hearing Henrietta’s story will entertain them and encourage them to write their own stories. A public library holding some kind of writing program could use it in the same way. A really ambitious library could turn it into a puppet show, play, or reader’s theater. The humor in the book would make it a hit with kids and parents alike.