Sunday, April 24, 2011

IT'S A GOOD DAY FOR CHICKS RUN WILD

Bok bok bok cluck cluck cluck! Don’t worry, I didn’t go feather pluckin’ mad, I’m just trying to make some chicken noises. Go ahead, make some chicken noises. See...it’s fun! Now that I got you in the right frame of mind for today’s recommendation, let’s take a quick look at Chicks Run Wild!


This book is so much fun for all ages. Adults will get a big kick out of reading this out loud and kids will enjoy pouring over the illustrations and vice versa!

Chicks Run Wild is written by picture book veteran Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (Quackenstein Hatches a Family) and illustrated by Ward Jenkins (Michael Phelps’s How To Train With A T. Rex And Win 8 Gold Medals). I’ve been a fan of Ward’s work since I discovered him back when I first joined flickr. He knows a thing or two about kid books as he’s collected and studied many wonderful artists that came before. He started one of the best groups on flickr called the Retro Kid, a tribute to all mid-century artists of kids books. Ward’s artwork reflects his love from the era with his own unique style. He's also quite the detail guy and adults reading Chicks Run Wild will enjoy looking for all the fun little Easter eggs in the background. (Ah ha! Happy Easter by the way!) Thanks to Ward, I’ll always be wanting to see the movie Roosters of the Lost Egg. Can you find it in the book? (Ok, we all need to email him requesting for an animated movie trailer. Did you know Ward is an accomplished animator? Yep, he’s a great one!) In Chicks Run Wild (and they do run wild) I really like all the chicks expressions. These little chicks, that just aren't sleepy enough to go to bed, really come to life in this book!

Chicks Run Wild has a facebook page and you can check it out here. A challenge was made that if they got 300 facebook fans, Ward would wear a chicken suit. The facebook “likes” came pouring in and sure enough Ward became a chicken! Check out all the crazy chicken photos here along with other Chicks Run Wild images!

You can pick up Chicks Run Wild here and when you do, you and your children will have a fun feathered good time!

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