Stein's earlier books did not foretell an ability to pull off broad comedy, but this father-and-daughter bedtime banter is all the better for being a surprise. A little red chicken, lying in bed in her pajamas, can't help slamming on the brakes when Papa's read-aloud stories get too tense: "Out jumped a little red chicken," she cuts in as Papa reads Hansel and Gretel, "and she said, ‘DON'T GO IN! SHE'S A WITCH!' So Hansel and Gretel didn't. THE END!" Stein's spreads are thickly and energetically worked, the colors intense, and the lighting and shadows dramatic. For Papa's bedtime stories, Stein (Leaves) shifts styles, inking each scene in spindly ink; when the chicken interrupts, she bursts onto the sepia pages in full color. And when, after cutting short three of Papa's stories, she starts in on a tale of her own, Stein switches again to preschooler crayon, as her sleepy father interrupts in his own way. The delivery is Catskill perfect; readers will fall hard for the antics of this hapless pair. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

The delivery is Catskill perfect; readers will fall hard for the antics of this hapless pair.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This is one of the rare titles that will entertain both parent and child.
—School Library Journal

Stein uses page turns dramatically to build tension, which is released each time the chicken interrupts and amends a fairy tale…illustrations are vivid and dramatic. Great fun for reading aloud.
—Booklist

It is the young chicken's bedtime, and Papa has agreed to read a favorite story. And she has promised not to interrupt. But no sooner has Papa begun "Hansel and Gretel" when the little chicken jumps into the tale to warn of the witch. And that ends that. So Papa tries again, this time with "Little Red Riding Hood." In jumps the chicken again, warning about the wolf, to end that story. The chicken promises to be good for one more story. Tired Papa begins "Chicken Little," but is foiled when the little one tells everyone it is only an acorn and not the sky falling. Out of stories, Papa asks the little chicken to tell him a story. And so she does. And guess who falls asleep? The anthropomorphic pair of fowls sport elaborate red head appendages that add to the humorous effects. The loose illustrations of the parent and child at bedtime, done in water color, water-soluble crayon, china marker, pen, opaque white ink, and tea, contrast with the double-page illustrations in the books being read, done mainly in a black and white sketchy style set in oval frames. A further contrast is provided in the pages of the little chicken's original story book, Bedtime for Papa. Parents reading aloud will be very sympathetic; savvy listeners will be amused. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Gr 2—In a picture book that is as charming and comic as Pouch! (Putnam, 2009), Stein again represents an affectionate parent's trials with a vigorous child. At bedtime, despite a rooster papa's best efforts to share classic fairy tales with his daughter, Little Red Chicken's soft heart means she can't help but jump into each story to warn Hansel and Gretel and then Red Riding Hood about impending danger, and to assure Chicken Little: "Don't panic! It was just an acorn." In each case, the story abruptly ends, wearying the father with what to do next. When he convinces his daughter to compose her own story, she fills four pages with preschool-style spelling and drawings about a chicken putting her papa to bed, but her tale is interrupted by Papa's snores. At the end, the pair cuddle together, asleep. Stein's droll cartoons use watercolor, crayon, china marker, pen, and tea. The rich colors of the characters perfectly contrast with the sepia pages of the storybooks. This is one of the rare titles that will entertain both parent and child.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA