Let's Get Cracking! (Kung Pow Chicken Series #1)

by Cyndi Marko, Cyndi Marko (Illustrator)

Overview

Kung Pow Chicken is the superhero everyone has been waiting for! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! In this exciting full-color series, Gordon Blue transforms into Kung Pow Chicken, an avian superhero who fights crime in the city of Fowladelphia. The first book in the series kicks off when Gordon's birdy senses lead him to a festival. Suddenly, POOF! Feathers fill the air and shivering naked chickens are everywhere. Why have all these chickens lost their feathers? Forced to wear wooly sweaters, the city itches for a hero. Kung Pow Chicken hops into his Beakmobile to save the day!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545613910
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Series:	Prairie Legacy #02 , #1
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	51 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cyndi Marko studied Fine Arts at Okanagan University College and she also studied Graphic Design and Prepress Technology at Humber College in Toronto. KUNG POW CHICKEN is her first children's book series. She currently lives in Canada.

Editorial Reviews

After a slip into toxic sludge at Uncle Quack’s laboratory, Gordon and Benny discover that they have special powers that they use as superheroes to battle crime. Gordon and Benny are chickens brothers; Gordon is the older sibling. During their school field trip to the Fowl Fall Festival, Gordon’s special detecting senses indicate that trouble is near and the brothers find that the attendees at the festival are losing all their feathers. It is up to Kung Pow Chicken and Egg Drop (respectively, Gordon and Benny) to get to the bottom of this mystery. The superheroes must put together the clues and follow the trail of Granny Goosebumps to crack the case. Readers will need to navigate through the story text and speech bubbles of this colorfully, illustrated adventure. Children may enjoy the word play and comical situations including the brothers’ interactions with their mother hen. This book is the first in the “Kung Pow Chicken” series. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung; Ages 5 to 8.

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

03/01/2014
Gr 1–3—Gordon Blue and his younger egg brother, Benedict, gain superpowers after taking an accidental dive into giant vat of toxic sludge while visiting Uncle Quack's laboratory. Gordon, aka Kung Pow Chicken, and Benedict get an opportunity to put their powers to the test. A crowd of chickens at the Fowl Fall Festival is suddenly featherless, and glowing cookies found near the scene are suspected to be linked to the crime. Granny Goosebumps, selling sweaters to the featherless victims, is scheming for a way to raise enough money to move to Florida, but Kung Pow Chicken and his faithful sidekick, Egg Drop, step in to save the day. The story is heavily illustrated and the cartoon style pairs nicely with the story's overall feel. Dialogue appears in speech bubbles, and the frequent poultry plays on words are sure to elicit giggles from young readers. This first offering in a series will have broad appeal among independent readers who have outgrown easy readers but are not yet ready for books relying more on text than illustration.—Matthew C. Winner, Ducketts Lane Elementary School, Elkridge, MD

School Library Journal

11/11/2013
Newcomer Marko dives headlong into superhero comedy in this hilarious kickoff to the Kung Pow Chicken series (part of the publisher’s Branches line), named for the alter ego of second-grader Gordon Blue, a rotund chicken. Freewheeling full-page illustrations and sequential panels push the book into graphic novel territory and assume much of the storytelling duty. After Gordon and his younger brother, Benedict, accidentally fall into a vat of toxic sludge at their scientist uncle’s lab (“Maybe we won’t tell your mom about this...” quips Uncle Quack), superpowers manifest in both birds. Their “birdy senses” tingle when danger is near, and it certainly appears to be present at the Fowl Fall Festival when the chickens in attendance suddenly (and explosively) begin to lose their feathers. Puns, one-liners, and goofy superpowered action are in abundant supply over the story’s eight chapters—along with plenty of “kapows,” “zoings,” and villainous laughter—as Kung Pow Chicken and his sidekick Egg Drop investigate. Just the thing for beginning readers eying the Captain Underpants shelf. Ages 5–7. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Wolf Literary Services. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Let's Get Cracking!:

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2014

• "Marko's debut is a perfectly puntastic page-turner. Hybrids of comics and traditional pictures, the goofy all-color illustrations propel the fast-moving, high-interest story. 'Ham and eggs!' --you don't want to miss this!" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This hilarious kickoff to the Kung Pow Chicken series [is] just the thing for beginning readers." -- Publishers Weekly

"Step aside, Captain Underpants! There is a new hero in town--this time, with feathers.... Fresh, funny, and packed with full-color illustrations, this new transitional series will be an instant hit with readers looking for silly fun and a touch of mystery." -- Booklist

"Frequent poultry plays on words are sure to ellicit giggles from young readers. This [series] will have broad appeal among independent readers who have outgrown easy readers but are not yet ready for books relying more on text than illustration." -- School Library Journal

Praise for Bok! Bok! Boom!:

An Amazon Big Spring Book, 2014

"Plenty of punny action in the colorful mix of comic panels and short paragraphs of text. Fans will be glad Kung Pow has at least two more adventures on the way." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Jokes and puns will keep the attention of eager new readers looking for a fast-paced, funny adventure with unlikely superheroes." -- School Library Journal

Praise for The Birdy Snatchers:

An Amazon Editor's Pick, Summer 2014

From the Publisher

This first book in the “Kung Pow Chicken” series introduces the main characters and provides an explanation for Gordon Blue’s extraordinary powers. Gordon looks like an ordinary chicken. He has all the correct parts, including a beak, a comb, and chicken feet. He wears large square glasses and he is a second grader in Sunnyside School. His secret super powers resulted from a visit to Uncle Quack’s scientific laboratory. Both Gordon and his younger brother Benny fell into a vat of toxic sludge. Now Gordon’s tail feathers twitch when something is wrong. When the students in his school take a field trip to the Foul Fall Festival, Gordon knows trouble is brewing. Chickens eating Granny’s Cookies are losing their feathers and are then obliged to purchase Granny’s Sweaters to keep the chill off their naked bodies. Gordon and Benny figure out Granny’s scheme and crack the case. The text is filled with word play and puns related to chickens. The brightly colored cartoonlike illustrations contribute humor and action. A good choice for emerging readers. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.; Ages 6 to 8.

Children's Literature - Phyllis Kennemer