CHICKY CHICKY CHOOK CHOOK

MacLennan’s appealing cover immediately grabs attention with five, bright yellow chicks jigging against a brown background. Composed of rhyming sounds, the visual narrative depicts yellow chicks, golden bees and striped kitty-cats as they play, nap and get drenched by raindrops. Preschoolers will respond to the motion-filled images and the fuzzy shapes, though some spreads require distance to distinguish the players. The rhythm breaks flow at times with some blips in rhyme, e.g. “Splitter, splatter. Wet. Wet. Wetter.” But the charm lies in the illustrations: vivid yellow, orange, green and black/white stripes against the brown textured paper. One oddity is the black-beaded eyes on all the figures; one of the pair is often spatially unattached from the head, appearing to float. The quirky style may elicit questions from kids, though it’s not unattractive. The large type and elongated format add appeal and invite reading aloud and participation. (Picture book. 3-5)