Queenie, One of the Family - Softcover

Graham, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0763614009 ISBN 13: 9780763614003

Publisher: Candlewick, 2001

Synopsis

A most unusual chicken adopts a family.

When Caitlin’s dad rescues Queenie the hen from drowning, Queenie decides to return the favor in a most surprising way. Every morning she walks all the way from the farm to Caitlin’s house to lay an egg in Caitlin’s dog’s bed. But when Mom has a new baby, Caitlin forgets to collect the eggs, and the dog snuggles in on top of them. Suddenly there are even more additions to their happy group! Bob Graham’s warm and unusual tale of a family, a dog, and a hen who feel very much at home together will delight families of all kinds.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2. When a family out for a walk spies a bantam furiously paddling to keep her head above water, Dad jumps into the lake to rescue her. Queenie (as she is named) fits right in. In fact, she displaces Bruno the dog, taking over his cozy basket. Mom has an inkling that the fowl has a home of her own, so they all head over the bridge spanning a highway to the local farm. Home at last, the hen decides to repay her rescuers by making a daily visit to Bruno's basket to lay an egg. Pictures display young Caitlin's birthday cake and breakfasts made from Queenie's eggs?as well as mom's growing belly. In all the confusion of bringing home a new baby brother, the pre-schooler forgets to collect the eggs. Bruno reclaims his basket, settling in for a nice long nap, and in so doing, incubates them until they hatch. The chicks go to live on the farm with their mom?all but one. This lively story is seasoned with some humorous illustrations that deserve an extra look in order to catch all of the small details. The father sports an earring, ponytail, and five-o'clock shadow; the mother's hair is a lovely shade of punk rock pink. Dad sits on the couch knitting, while mom and Caitlin share a good book. Graham has created a lovable, quirky clan, and an equally likable hen.?Lisa Marie Gangemi, Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 2^-6. With funny, affectionate line-and-watercolor pictures and a story full of surprises, Graham's large-size picture book moves far beyond the simple static situation that characterizes so many books for young preschoolers. There is an adventure from the first page, when Caitlin's dad rescues a hen from the lake. The family names her Queenie, and she makes herself very much at home in the dog's basket. Then they take Queenie back to the farm she came from, and Bruno gets his basket back, but the determined hen makes the difficult journey back every morning to lay her egg in Bruno's basket, and as Graham says at every stage, "The story might have ended there, but it didn't!" Another baby is born in the family and . . . Not only is the story a saga, but the pictures, sometimes several to a page, are packed with feeling and action that extend the characters and the dramas of ordinary life. Brave Dad wears a ponytail and an earring and struggles with his knitting. Mom bakes Caitlin's birthday cake with an egg that Queenie lays for them. Bruno reclaims his basket and hatches the eggs. This is a book that will delight children for many readings. Hazel Rochman

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0763614009
• ISBN 13: 9780763614003
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Graham Bob