Tough Chicks

by Cece Meng, Melissa Suber (Illustrator)

Overview

From the moment Penny, Polly, and Molly hatch from their eggs, the whole farm knows they are truly tough chicks. They wrestle worms, rope roosters, and are often found under the hood of the tractor. All the other animals and even the farmer himself tell Mama Hen to make her chicks good. "They are good!" Mama Hen replies. But could her chicks be too loud, too independent, and too tough? Lively language and bold illustrations capture all the fun and humor of this delightfully different farmyard romp that's also a resounding endorsement for letting girls be girls (even if they're loud and tough and like to play with tractors.)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618824151
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	02/16/2009
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cece Meng works as a small-business consultant and freelance copywriter. She lives with her husband and their two children in Santa Cruz, California. For more information visit www.cecemeng.com.

Melissa Suber has worked as a storyboard and visual development artist for Disney, DreamWorks, Universal Studios, Nickelodeon, and several live-action filmmakers. She also illustrated many books for young readers, including Milo the Really Big Bunny. Melissa lives in California. 

Editorial Reviews

Kids will have fun with this story.”—Publishers Weekly
"When Penny, Polly, and Molly hatch, they are three tough chicks. They run around the farm ("Peep, peep, zoom, zip, cheep") to the consternation of the other animals and the farmer. From swinging on the cow's tail, roping the rooster, and peeking under the hood of the tractor, the feisty females elicit pleas from the farmer and critters to the chicks' mother, "Make them be good!" Mother Hen invariably replies, "They are good!" But they are restored to everyone's good graces when a runaway tractor almost crashes into the henhouse. The colorful acrylic illustrations—and chicks—dance across the pages in a variety of spreads and smaller vignettes. The frenetic barnyard action is barely contained within the pages. The repetition in the text will make this a good choice for storytime sharing as well as independent reading. These chicks are mischievous enough to entice the most reluctant reader."—School Library Journal

"Mama Hen's three new chicks just won't be cute—or good, much to the dismay of all the barnyard residents, except their proud Mama. They race the bugs, rope the rooster and dive off the fence for fun, running around the farm with an unusual series of un-chick-like cries: "Peep, peep, zoom, zip, cheep!" They won't learn how to cluck, scratch for grain or build a nest. They even poke around under the hood of the big red tractor. Even the hyper-supportive Mama worries that their differences might get them into mischief or, even worse, make them outcasts. One day, Farmer Fred has some trouble with his tractor; it careens out of control and lands in a mud hole, and it's Penny, Polly and Molly to the rescue. Suber's bright acrylics fit the broad strokes of Meng's delightful tale, investing each yellow, droplet-shaped chick with an individual personality. Comfy, round shapes dominate her compositions, which tile and veer off-kilter with the chick's energy; taking a cue from the cartoons, she depicts the chicks' running feet as a blur of tiny orange strokes. Sublime and original."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Stylized, animation-style drawings emphasize the cartoon aspects of a fast-paced story. Meng (The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups) has fun with Penny, Polly and Molly, three free-spirited chicks who rile the rest of the barnyard with their unchickenlike ways (they don't preen, peck or cluck, and they rope roosters and peer under the hood of the farmer's tractor). Of course they save the day when the tractor's brakes fail and it heads straight for the barnyard. Suber (Milo the Really Big Bunny) excels at the cinematic portrayal of rapid movement: fence-posts shatter and the tractor gets some air as it hurtles toward the animals. There's little nuance: the animals are caricatures, with googly eyes and goofy grins, and the paisley-shaped chicks are distinguishable only by their decorative feathers. Kids will have fun with this story. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

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Publishers Weekly

From the moment her girls hatched, Mama Hen knew that Molly, Polly, and Penny were not like the rest of the chicks in the barnyard. Instead of scratching in the dirt, preening their feathers, pecking grain from the henhouse floor, or anything else ordinary chickens might do, these little chicks wrestle worms, rope roosters, and tinker with the tractor motor. They are different, Mama insists, but they are good. The other hen mothers, farm animals—-even Farmer Fred himself—-do not always agree. Why cannot these busy, smart, tough chicks behave just like the other fuzzy-headed, cute, quiet hatchlings? As you might guess, Molly, Polly, and Penny get their chance to save the day (and Farmer Fred's tractor) by the last page. Suber's bright, cheery acrylic paintings provide an energized, contemporary look for a classic ?importance of being yourself' tale. Meng's prose moves the story along at a brisk read-aloud pace with a nice blend of humor and warmth. Young readers will delight in this hardcover picture book story of ?letting girls be girls'—even if that means they like to play with tractors! Reviewer: Dianne Ochiltree

Children's Literature - Dianne Ochiltree

PreS-Gr 2

When Penny, Polly, and Molly hatch, they are three tough chicks. They run around the farm ("Peep, peep, zoom, zip, cheep") to the consternation of the other animals and the farmer. From swinging on the cow's tail, roping the rooster, and peeking under the hood of the tractor, the feisty females elicit pleas from the farmer and critters to the chicks' mother, "Make them be good!" Mother Hen invariably replies, "They are good!" But they are restored to everyone's good graces when a runaway tractor almost crashes into the henhouse. The colorful acrylic illustrations-and chicks-dance across the pages in a variety of spreads and smaller vignettes. The frenetic barnyard action is barely contained within the pages. The repetition in the text will make this a good choice for storytime sharing as well as independent reading. These chicks are mischievous enough to entice the most reluctant reader.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

Mama Hen's three new chicks just won't be cute-or good, much to the dismay of all the barnyard residents, except their proud Mama. They race the bugs, rope the rooster and dive off the fence for fun, running around the farm with an unusual series of un-chick-like cries: "Peep, peep, zoom, zip, cheep!" They won't learn how to cluck, scratch for grain or build a nest. They even poke around under the hood of the big red tractor. Even the hyper-supportive Mama worries that their differences might get them into mischief or, even worse, make them outcasts. One day, Farmer Fred has some trouble with his tractor; it careens out of control and lands in a mud hole, and it's Penny, Polly and Molly to the rescue. Suber's bright acrylics fit the broad strokes of Meng's delightful tale, investing each yellow, droplet-shaped chick with an individual personality. Comfy, round shapes dominate her compositions, which tilt and veer off-kilter with the chicks' energy; taking a cue from the cartoons, she depicts the chicks' running feet as a blur of tiny orange strokes. Sublime and original. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews