As Louise ventures out into the great wide world, she's a not-so-chicken chicken who isn't afraid to take flight. Lush illustrations by acclaimed i...
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reviews
Jan 17, 2011
Jeanette
rated it: 
Louise longs for adventure and adventure she finds when she ventures out of her cozy hen house. Adventure on the high seas, adventure at the circus and adventure at a faraway bazaar.
I love books that spark imagination in my kids. Not 2 minutes after we read this book I heard my son say to his little sister, "Come on! I am taking you prisoner just like Louise."
So, for that reason alone I love this book.
The story is creative and really fun to read aloud and the illus More...
I love books that spark imagination in my kids. Not 2 minutes after we read this book I heard my son say to his little sister, "Come on! I am taking you prisoner just like Louise."
So, for that reason alone I love this book.
The story is creative and really fun to read aloud and the illus More...
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Feb 09, 2012
Rachel
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Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss take readers on an exciting journey in their book, "Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken." In the book, Louise is a daring chicken who longs for adventure. The book is broken into four separate chapters which each tell about an adventure Louise experienced on her quest to see the world. She escapes from a group of pirates, performs a daring circus act, gets trapped in a cage by a stranger, and finally arrives home to tell her fellow hens about her ordeal a
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Jul 29, 2011
Eva
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I'm sad to say that some aspects outside of the actual story figured into the rating for the book. We borrowed the audio edition of this book from the library, along with the print.
Not only did I not care for the narrator's voice but this is the only children's book we've read so far that didn't tell the child when to turn the page. We're still pretty darn new to listening to audios and I'll be the first to admit that listing to that page turning sound is somewhat annoying but until it was More...
Not only did I not care for the narrator's voice but this is the only children's book we've read so far that didn't tell the child when to turn the page. We're still pretty darn new to listening to audios and I'll be the first to admit that listing to that page turning sound is somewhat annoying but until it was More...
Feb 09, 2012
Jennifer
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If anyone could imbue a chicken with a personality worthy of an epic journey it would be Kate DiCamillo, but even she may not quite be up to such a challenge. However, although Louise may not have the personality of Gollie, Mercy, or Despereaux, her tale is just as charming. And really, should we expect any author to truly see into the soul of a chicken?
Louise yearns for the adventures that we all regularly encounter our dreams. Since she is actually living out those dreams, when More...
Louise yearns for the adventures that we all regularly encounter our dreams. Since she is actually living out those dreams, when More...
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Oct 20, 2009
NS-Christine
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Louise was not like other chickens. She was not content to stay in the henhouse, so she set out for an adventure on the high seas. Just as Louise was beginning to think the sea wasn't as exciting as she expected, a pirate ship appeared! With a little luck, Louise was able to escape the pirates. She headed back to the henhouse for some rest, but Louise still longed for adventure. When the circus came to town, Louise finds herself in the high wire act! Just as soon as this too started to bec
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Jan 24, 2009
Christy
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Louise is not a “chicken” chicken. Instead, Louise shatters chicken stereotypes with her courageous spirit and longing for adventure. Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken tells the story of a chicken who literally dreams of exciting journeys and dangerous circumstances.
Louise’s adventures are chronicled in three separate chapters. The first voyage takes place at sea. Louise finds herself aboard a ship and is disappointed by the lack of adventure. Soon the “true adventure More...
Louise’s adventures are chronicled in three separate chapters. The first voyage takes place at sea. Louise finds herself aboard a ship and is disappointed by the lack of adventure. Soon the “true adventure More...
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Jan 29, 2010
Sarah
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I know I don't usually review children's books on my blog, even though I read plenty of them with my seven-year-old daughter. But the audio recording of this book won the 2010 ALSC/Booklist/YALSA Odyssey Award and was announced at Youth Media Awards two weeks ago. A friend of mine was on the committee and they know they listened to hours and hours of audiobooks to find the best ones. Of course, I had to listen! So last night my daughter and I listened to the CD as we followed along in the book.
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May 08, 2009
Kara
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My main reason for liking this book is because it's unapologetically weird. However, it lacks something fundamental that it would need to elevate it to the status of a great book. The kids get a kick out of it and I love the fact that it's long, but the stories just don't pack as much punch as they could. Everything seems a little dry.
I feel like a more appropriate illustrator could have been found than Bliss, whose pictures are a bit modern for a story apparently set in the 17- or More...
I feel like a more appropriate illustrator could have been found than Bliss, whose pictures are a bit modern for a story apparently set in the 17- or More...
Apr 20, 2011
Jackie
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In Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken, Louise longs and longs for an adventure, and an adventure (or two or three) she gets. In Chapter 1, her adventure takes her on the high seas and she encounters mean and hungry pirates and narrowly escapes. In Chapter 2, her adventure takes her to the circus and narrowly escapes being eaten by a lion. In Chapter 3, Louise's adventure takes her to a bazaar full of vendors with fabulous wares and narrowly escapes being locked up in a cage. Throughout her long
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Sep 09, 2009
Kathryn
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A fun book with adorable pictures! There is nothing especially "amazing" about the story, and yet it is so much fun to go along with Louise as she seeks out new adventures, then returns to her cozy, familiar roost when she's sampled enough from any one adventure. I really hate to say this, because it sounds like a horrible pun, but I just kept thinking "Louise is just so plucky" and her glittering determination is fun and even a bit inspiring! ;-> The illustrations are
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Dec 31, 2008
Anna
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The tale of a chicken who seeks fulfillment through adventure, only to realize that a quiet life is what she truly craves.
This book is a shocking dissapointment. I'm not sure if DiCamillo spaced and no one had the guts to tell her or if she knowingly slopped the text together to try and capitalize on the holiday season. In addition to being unimaginative the writing is choppy and spasmodic. DiCamillo employs chapter breaks in an attempt to move the story along but it mearly creates c More...
This book is a shocking dissapointment. I'm not sure if DiCamillo spaced and no one had the guts to tell her or if she knowingly slopped the text together to try and capitalize on the holiday season. In addition to being unimaginative the writing is choppy and spasmodic. DiCamillo employs chapter breaks in an attempt to move the story along but it mearly creates c More...
May 19, 2010
Melissa
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This was a cute story with fabulous pictures, told in 3 chapters, about a hen who isn't satisfied with life on the farm. She sets out for adventures but comes home to the farm at the end of each chapter. My kids definitely did not want to stop between chapters, albeit they only took aobut 5 minutes each, and we all loved that one of the pictures had the African Queen boat and a Humphrey-Bogart-looking character since we had just watched The African Queen for our family movie a couple weeks a
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Jan 22, 2012
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it:
I'd been wanting to read this book for a while now, but every time I looked for it on the shelf it was checked out. At last I've had my chance, and it was worth the wait. Louise is a chicken who longs for adventure, and flies the coop looking for it. This book relates three of her adventures--at sea (captured by pirates!), at the circus (on the trapeze!), and overseas (at what appears to be an Arabic marketplace). In each adventure, however, Louise's homesickness points her wings toward home
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Sep 29, 2008
Pam
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In this book Kate DiCamillo -- Newbery Winner and National Book Award finalist -- joins forces with Harry Bliss -- award winning illustrator of "Diary of a Worm" and the New Yorker magazine-- to produce a lighthearted book about a hen that longs for adventure, and gets it!
Those familiar with Kate DiCamillo know that while her books appear to be fables for young children, that they often have a dark side that makes them better targeted to the middle school and up crowd. Wit More...
Those familiar with Kate DiCamillo know that while her books appear to be fables for young children, that they often have a dark side that makes them better targeted to the middle school and up crowd. Wit More...
Feb 21, 2012
Emily
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The story was okay, but not as rich as other works by DiCamillo. Louise the chicken definitely goes through the same dilemma as so many others - the desire for adventure vs. the comfort of home. My favorite of her adventures was her stint as a tightrope walker. The illustrations are well done, but do not always match well with the text placement. "Chapters" are used to separate the adventures of Louise, which I hate in picture books.
Mar 24, 2010
Becky
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The audio for this book won this year's Odyssey Award (best audiobook produced for youth) and deservedly so. The narrator, Barbara Rosenblat, is terrific, with spot-on voices for characters ranging from pirates to chickens. I also liked the background noises and music. The text itself is also fun and the illustrations by Harry Bliss are enjoyable and whimsical. I recommend reading along while listening to the audio; 20 minutes well spent!
Mar 25, 2009
Kermit
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A picture book by Kate DeCamillo. It kind of reminded me of her book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane about the rabbit doll who travels the world. Louise is a real chicken who longs for adventure and travels the world. She eventually decides that home is best and comes back to her coop. The illustrations are amusing with a few sight gags such as Louise traveling back home from Africa via a little boat called the African Queen with a guy standing on deck who looks like Humphrey Bogart
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Jan 30, 2010
Stephanie
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The perfect thing to read on a sick day. Louise gets bored of life in the hen house and goes off on a series of adventures. At the end of each adventure, she decides that the safety of the hen house might not be such a bad thing after all... until she gets bored again. A wonderful illustration of needing a solid home base from which to sally forth on adventures -- and to which one can return to restore one's energy.
Sep 12, 2009
Barbara
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What a great book. Louise has the heart of an adventurer but she always finds a way home. At home her friend Monique always asks "what have you been doing Louise?" and Louise remains silent keeping her adventures to herself and sleeps the deep and peaceful sleep of the true adventurer. Why is her sleep peaceful and dreamless you ask, because the true adventurer lives her dreams while others just dream
Jun 24, 2009
Agnes
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Louise has three adventures in the sea, up on the high wire and in a land far away, where she ends up imprisoned, all in an effort to get her heart beating faster and faster within her "feathered breast". The four chapters are somewhat disjointed and the story falls short in its ups and downs but no ultimate point or redeeming value. Illustrations resemble juvenile non-fiction graphics.
Jan 03, 2009
Isabella
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I cracked up laughing just remembering this book. It is very VERY funny! It is about a white-feathered chicken who is always longing for adventure. Her name is Louise. I thought it was SO funny because I could NOT imagine my chickens doing the things Louise does. And she could even talk!
I really liked the pictures in this book--they are paintings, and they are very good.
I really liked the pictures in this book--they are paintings, and they are very good.
Aug 16, 2011
Ubalstecha
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Louise is a unique chicken. When she is bored, she sneaks out of her henhouse and goes on adventures. Sometimes she sails the seven seas, other times she joins a circus. But always, when the adventures are through, she returns back to her coup and tells her friend Monique what happened.
This is a lovely book by one of the most prolific and interesting children's authors out there.
This is a lovely book by one of the most prolific and interesting children's authors out there.
Dec 13, 2011
Christy
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She longed for adventure.
So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world.
The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful: marauding pirates on the majestic seas, a ferocious lion under the bright lights of the big top, a mysterious stranger in an exotic and bustling bazaar.
Yet in the face of such daunting danger, our heroine . . .
So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world.
The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful: marauding pirates on the majestic seas, a ferocious lion under the bright lights of the big top, a mysterious stranger in an exotic and bustling bazaar.
Yet in the face of such daunting danger, our heroine . . .
Sep 10, 2011
Lucius
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I read this story with 6 y.o. and 7 y.o. girls and they were very taken with the book. On the other hand, I was looking for something more because it's told in a straightforward fashion. I guess, given the cover and the title, I was looking for more humor than I found in this book.
It should be noted that Harry Bliss did an amazing job with the illustrations in the book.
It should be noted that Harry Bliss did an amazing job with the illustrations in the book.
Jul 01, 2010
dee
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There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home. Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
I love chickens so chicken stories always get good marks with me, why because some of my best friends are chickens or roosters. Did you ever read Chicken Boy? Great book! (Thought I would put in a plug there). I hope that's ok.
I love chickens so chicken stories always get good marks with me, why because some of my best friends are chickens or roosters. Did you ever read Chicken Boy? Great book! (Thought I would put in a plug there). I hope that's ok.
May 12, 2010
Robert
rated it:
Kate DiCamillo, Louise: The Adventures of a Chicken (Joanna Cotler Books, 2008)
One of the things about Because of Winn-Dixie that made the book so great, in my eyes, was how well DiCamillo draws characters. I was hoping that gift would bleed over into her writing for the tot set, but such was not to be in Louise. It's amusing enough, to be sure, but shallow. Louise is a chicken who dreams of adventure, and regularly takes off from the farm to get herself involved in various peccadill More...
One of the things about Because of Winn-Dixie that made the book so great, in my eyes, was how well DiCamillo draws characters. I was hoping that gift would bleed over into her writing for the tot set, but such was not to be in Louise. It's amusing enough, to be sure, but shallow. Louise is a chicken who dreams of adventure, and regularly takes off from the farm to get herself involved in various peccadill More...
Jul 29, 2011
Cheryl in CC NV
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Hmm... I really don't know what to say. The pictures were fine, the story was fine, there were nice touches like the African Queen reference, and the rhythm of the way she slept at the end of each adventure. But I didn't find it special in any way. Children would probably like it a lot better; maybe they'd be inspired to have adventures.
Dec 29, 2010
Lisa
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I love Kate DiCamillo's books, and lately I have been discovering picture books she has written. This beautifully illustrated book is the the story of Louise, a chicken who is longing for adventure. After having the adventures she thinks she wants (with pirates, the circus, etc), she realizes that there really is no place like home.
Aug 23, 2011
Afternoon Adventures
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You can't help but love Louise. This is a fun read aloud book. It is even set up with chapters, so even young kids can enjoy a "chapter" book.
My favorite chapter was the pirates... although it was a bit disturbing to see the pirate drowning in the picture. My kids still found even that passage funny.
My favorite chapter was the pirates... although it was a bit disturbing to see the pirate drowning in the picture. My kids still found even that passage funny.
Mar 21, 2010
Samantha
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Odyssey Award Winner for Best Audiobook 2010
I read this book along with the audiobook and I thought it was pretty cute. I thought there were better audiobooks last year (Marcelo in particular) but the book is cute. Louise isn't like the other chickens. She longs for adventure and boy does she get it!
I read this book along with the audiobook and I thought it was pretty cute. I thought there were better audiobooks last year (Marcelo in particular) but the book is cute. Louise isn't like the other chickens. She longs for adventure and boy does she get it!
