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Dapier, Jarrett

Mr. Watson's Chickens

48 pp. | Chronicle | October, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4521-7714-4 $17.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi. When Mr. Watson returns home one day to the house he shares with Mr. Nelson, two dogs, and three cats, he adds three chickens to the new coop in the backyard. But when three chickens grow to four hundred and fifty-six, and with the inside of their house "teeming with birds," it eventually causes relationship issues for the couple. "Mr. Watson loved his chickens, but he loved Mr. Nelson more," so they take all the hens to the county fair, where more chaos ensues. In a tidy resolution, the chickens embark on a show-business career, and back at home Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson are now sad empty-nesters...or are they? Dapier's matter-of-fact text contains plenty of helpful repetition--including counting "“1-2-3") and chicken Aunt Agnes's song ("Shooby-doo, wonky-pow, bawka-bawka in da chow-chow")--­making this a great read-aloud, but it may be best shared one-on-one given Tsurumi's highly detailed digital art. The seek-and-find nature encourages readers to pore over each humorous illustration, spotting chickens playing musical instruments, roasting s'mores, and using aerial silks--all on the same page. Tsurumi keeps the mayhem from becoming overwhelming via black outlines and flat coloring, plus the occasional speech bubble for emphasis. The subtle references in the art to well-known gay children's book creators (Arnold Lobel, James Marshall) reinforce the book's casual embrace of a same-sex couple--who hopefully won't end up with quite so many chickens next time.
Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

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