FIVE FUZZY CHICKS

These fluffy chicks are ready for action…or are they?

The day is about done on this busy farm. The sun has nearly set, and everyone is tired from a good day’s work…except for five smiling, different-hued chicks who want to go for a run. “Five fuzzy chicks / run past the plow, / into the grass, / and under the cow. / The cow says, ‘Moo! Moo!’ / The chicks say, ‘Cheep! Cheep!’ / But the grass is so cozy… // one chick falls asleep.” Four chicks run on and meet the pigs. After a dance, three are ready to proceed…but one falls asleep on a mossy rock with the pigs. The three play with Rover, a smiling terrier…but one finds the pooch too cozy to leave, and a snuggle occurs. Another finds the horse’s hay too comfy to pass by, and the last falls asleep in the sheep’s fleece. A determined “Mama Hen hurries / to gather her troop. / She scoops them all up… / …and runs back to the coop.” And finally those five fuzzy chicks settle down in their cozy nest. Murray and Hanson have created what feels like an old classic that’s simultaneously fresh and sweet. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, all full-bleed, are soft and just realistic enough to ensure recognizability. These fuzzy-edged farm animals sport big eyes and anthropomorphic smiles; the farming family, seen in only one scene, is white.

A bedtime countdown rhyme for every little farmer.