FICTION

I Hatched!

I Hatched! illus. by Jen Corace. 40p. Dial. Jan. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780803736887. LC 2012006100.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—An enthusiastic killdeer chick hatches ("Ta-da!") and discovers what he can do in the wondrous world around him. "I've studied me, and oh, my word. I am one amazing bird! This stripe is handsome, don't you think? And look! My eyes can…blink blink blink!" While the rhymes occasionally feel forced, the overall rhythm is satisfying and energetic. There is even a lovely surprise at the end: another chick being hatched. The watercolor and ink illustrations show just the right amount of detail in the chick's surroundings and cheerfully portray his delight in his appearance and accomplishments.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI
"A patch of light! / One final peck. / I give a shove and s-t-r-e-t-c-h my neck." With some unusual visual perspectives, the earth-toned ink, pencil, and watercolor illustrations depict an infant killdeer bird pushing out of its eggshell and frolicking in its new world. The first-person conversational rhymes chronicling the enthusiastic fledgling's discoveries are often awkward and lumbering.

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