When I saw Doreen Cronin’s name on the cover of this short chapter book, I was thrilled. I was pretty sure that Kyle my 6-year-old first grader and I would both love it.
The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery appears to be the first in a series
I hope this book finds its niche. I think that it is perfect for a much wider audience than what one might presume.
The book is 128 pages long, and heavily illustrated. There’s a beautiful black and white drawing on almost every two-page spread. The illustrations would lead me to assume that it’s a very early chapter book aimed at 1st and 2nd graders. Kyle and I read it aloud, and we both enjoyed getting to know J.J. Tully, the search and rescue dog who Moosh the chicken enlists to help her find her chicks.
In spite of the fact that it was perfect for us (both the reader mom and the listener), the book is tagged a solid middle grade novel for 8 – 12 year old readers, and here’s the beauty that I hope others discover. The dialogue is snappy (reminding me a little of Hank the Cowdog), and some of the words are quite advanced. I think that a 9 – 10 year old reader who doesn’t want to read longer books would find this to be perfect — mentally stimulating, but easy to finish.
So while this would be (and was!) a great read-aloud for 6 – 8 year olds, it would also be perfect for independent readers who are a little bit older (8 – 10), and I hope that they don’t dismiss it as too young because of the pictures.
Jennifer Donovan loves to read aloud to her kids and hopes that they won’t outgrow it anytime soon. She blogs about books, motherhood and more at Snapshot.
The cover art is most certainly appealing! And like Hank? I like Hank! I’ll keep my eye out.
Thanks!
I thought I remembered you liking Hank! I’ve only read one book back when Amanda was younger, but they did remind me of one another.
Wow, this sounds perfect for my little guy! He is such a good reader but absolutely won’t go near a chapter book (although he’ll read an entire book of comics or spend an hour in an encyclopedia with no problem).
I have actually been looking for books that would help bridge the gap to the next level of fiction for him. Thank you!
Trish–That’s great. I hope that this one would be a good fit.
Another series that I liked that felt very similar to this (story good enough for older readers, but looks “easy”) are the Field Trip Mysteries (and actually the Science Detectives, too although they are more chapter bookish), reviewed HERE.
This sounds just like something Alex would love, and we definitely are big fans of Doreen Cronin.
Good for mom and child. Gotta love that!
Thanks for the great review and giveaway.