Chicken Story Time

PreS-Gr 2—Everyone looks forward to the storytime program at the public library. One week, a chicken comes in through the window and joins the entourage of children as they gather around the librarian to hear a story, and a good time is had by all. The next week, a larger crowd of children attend, along with a whole flock of chickens. The session is a bit hectic but is nonetheless a big hit. The following week, there are so many children, and so many chickens, that the beleaguered librarian can't be heard over the din, even with a bullhorn. How can they possibly conduct a storytime? Suddenly, a solution occurs to her—she hands out "shelves and shelves of stories" to the children, and they spread out all over the building, each conducting mini-storytimes, reading to the chickens. The vibrant cartoon art captures the suburban library setting with a mix of full-bleed spreads, sequential panels, and increasingly busy (and noisy) scenes. The simple, large-font, cumulative text reinforces several recurring elements (children, chickens, stories) and features the refrain, "Everyone loves storytime." With this engaging, bibliocentric answer to the proverbial question of why the chicken crossed the road, librarians and teachers can introduce the idea of library programming in a lively and humorous way.