Chick-o-Saurus Rex

by Lenore Jennewein, Daniel Jennewein (Illustrator)

Overview

A bullied little chicken discovers his inner strength along with some surprising dinosaur ancestry in this farmyard tale with huge heart.

Little Chick just wants to belong, but the bullies of the barnyard—Little Donkey, Little Pig, and Little Sheep—won’t let him play in their tree house because he is a chicken, and chickens are not strong and brave. Little Chick sees their point: What have chickens done besides invent the chicken dance and cross the road? But when his father shows Little Chick the family photo album, he learns something HUGE: He is related to the gigantic and ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex!

Armed with this new knowledge, Little Chick returns to the tree house just in time to rescue the bullies from a scary wolf—and prove that strength and bravery have nothing to do with size.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442451896
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	07/23/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD640L (what's this?)
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lenore Jennewein is the author of the picture book Chick-o-Saurus Rex and, writing as Lenore Appelhans, the author of the teen novel Level 2. She lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her illustrator husband Daniel Jennewein and their three cats. Visit her at PresentingLenore.blogspot.com, where she has been blogging about YA lit since 2008.
Daniel Jennewein is the illustrator of several picture books for children, including Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?, written by Audrey Vernick, and Chick-O-Saurus, written by his wife, Lenore. His wife, writing as Lenore Appelhans, is also the author of the teen novel Level 2. They live in Frankfurt, Germany, with their three cats. Visit Daniel at DanielJennewein.com.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 2—Little Chick longs to play in the tree house, but the entrance is guarded by three bullies. Little Donkey, Little Pig, and Little Sheep insist that only the brave and mighty can belong to their club and put up a "No Chickens Allowed" sign. So Little Chick searches for an impressive relative. His dad helps him discover a picture of Grandpa Rooster and a fossil and tells him that legend has it that an ancient ancestor is buried beyond the farm. Wearing their pith helmets and holding pickaxes, father and son dig one hole after another until they discover a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. Renaming himself Chick-o-Saurus Rex, the chick hurries back to the tree house and rescues the bullies from a hungry wolf. His brave act wins him acclaim and opens the tree house to all the farm animals. The cartoon artwork uses simple lines and bright colors. An author's note explains that paleontologists have confirmed that chickens really are T. rex's closest living relative. Dinosaur-loving youngsters will warm to Little Chick, whose courage has nothing to do with his size.—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

School Library Journal

A factoid from evolutionary biology—that chickens are T. rex’s closest living relatives—provides a distinctive angle to a story about bullying from this husband-and-wife team (she’s the author of the YA novel Level 2; he’s the illustrator of Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?). Daniel Jennewein’s digital drawings show scrawny, earnest Little Chick staring longingly at the neighborhood tree house, presently occupied by an obnoxious trio: Little Donkey, Little Sheep, and Little Pig. “This is a club for the brave and mighty,” they sneer. “So tell us, what mighty things can chickens do?” A search turns up a paleontologist grandfather and traces of an ancient ancestor said to lie buried nearby. “Can we go there? Please?” Little Chick pleads with his father, and the two uncover a gigantic T. rex skeleton. Armed with the knowledge of his terrifying sire—and a giant bone—Little Chick proves his bravery. While the story doesn’t offer a real-world bully solution, its premise is easy to understand and (more notably, perhaps) it takes the principle of evolution as the quiet, undisputed basis for all that happens. Ages 4–8. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Daniel Jennewein’s bold outlines and expressive animals make this simple story, with its interesting DNA fact, into an entertaining, good-hearted romp."

The New York Times Book Review

"Full of energy and humor, the bold digital artwork creates cartoonlike effects with black, expressive lines and flat colors. The story is satisfying as well."

Booklist

The tree house is the cool place on the farm, but bullies Little Pig, Little Sheep, and Little Donkey block Little Chick from it. They tease him about not being "brave and mighty" or having family members with these traits, like they do. Little Chick returns home, determined to meet this criteria for acceptance. His parents want to help, and bring out the family photo album to try to find evidence of some ancestor who has demonstrated being "brave and mighty." Inventing the chicken-dance isn't good enough, nor is crossing the road (although parents and caregivers reading this along with their picture book aficionado may appreciate the gag humor). But way back when, Grandpa Rooster did do something curious in digging to find the fossil of a "mighty ancestor." Unfortunately, he never completed the task. Little Chicken enlists his Dad to help, and they head out to the site. After a great deal of digging, they eventually unearth an impressive fossil—and an even more impressive truth about their ancestor's identity. Yes, Little Chicken is, in fact, descended from the Tyrannosaurus Rex. But the story doesn't stop there. When Little Chick heads to the tree house to tell his farm yard fellows about his discovery, he finds a wolf at their heels. The newly-dubbed Chick-o-Saurus Rex charges the toothy fellow with his pointy dino bone and fiercest roar. The wolf slinks off, and Little Chick's merits are sung by his former foes. Soon, everyone on the farm is welcome in the tree house. Daniel Jennewein's illustrations are a perfect, comic match to Lenore Jennewein's outlandish tale. The couple hit one of the park with this sensational underdog tale. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

Inspired by his dinosaur ancestry, a small chick drives off a wolf and so turns bullies into friends in this bland episode. Bullies Little Pig, Little Sheep and Little Donkey refuse him entry to the treehouse unless he can prove that he's "brave and mighty." A nascent rooster's crow doesn't persuade them that he or his family meet their qualifications, and they post a "No Chickens Allowed" sign on their tree. Little Chick pesters his dad into helping him dig up an "ancient ancestor" who turns out to be T. Rex. Proclaiming "I AM CHICK-O-SAURUS REX!" in a full-spread bellow, Little Chick races back to the tree with a giant bone, arriving just in time to send a startled wolf scooting off. Huzzah. After a general chorus of "For He's a Mighty Brave Chicken," the erstwhile bullies throw the treehouse open to all the farm animals. The thick-lined, very simple cartoon illustrations have just about as much nuance as the plotline. Hot as the "bully" topic may be, this has nothing to offer on it aside from facile wish fulfillment. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews