Brave Chicken Little

by Robert Byrd

Whack! What’s that?  Could it be? A piece of the sky!  Oh my! Chicken Little and his friends run, run, run to tell the king. Nothing stands in the way except...the sly Foxy Loxy. Surely they have time to stop for lunch with Foxy and his kits. But what happens when Chicken Little and company find themselves on the menu?
What this classic story needs is a new ending and a brave hero.  And maybe this time, it’s Chicken Little! Cleverly retold and exquisitely illustrated by Robert Byrd, Brave Chicken Little transforms a cautionary fable into a tale of triumph.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Fiction, Adventure

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

Robert Byrd has been delighting children of all ages with his whimsical, fantasy-filled children's books for over 30 years. As author and illustrator he has the rare talent to see his fanciful visions through to the minutest detail. Whether enlightening audiences to the many talents of Leonardo DaVinci or taking us into a wonderous world filled with foxes and bears in military attire, Bob, (as he's more affectionately known), is sure to spin us a tale we'll not soon forget. Bob was the 2003 winner of the prestigious Golden Kite Award for excellence in children's books for Leonardo — Beautiful Dreamer.

Robert Byrd was born in Atlantic City and studied at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. He has illustrated sixteen books for children and has had his children's book art exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Alliance; The World Children's Book Fair in Bologna, The Society of Illustrators, New York; The Art institute of Philadelphia; The University of the Arts, Philadelphia; and Cricket, 25 Years of Stories and Art for Kids, the Art Institute of Chicago. He teaches Children's Book Illustration at The University of the Arts, and Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. He has two grown children, Rob and Jennifer, and lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey with his wife Ginger and two cats.

from http://www.robertbyrdart.com/byrd/abo...

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicken Little is sent on an errand for his mother, but soon discovers that the sky is slowly coming down. He must warn the king, and tells a group of other animals along the way, in hopes that they will join his warning. When the group meets the sly Foxy Loxy, the story takes a turn from the usual version. You see, Foxy Loxy is the father to a large skulk (yes, look it up for the collective name) and they are hungry. After Foxy Loxy locks them away, the group must work together to get the news out to the king. Chicken Little is able to use all the fanfare of his message to pull the fur over the eyes of Foxy and tries to save his friends. However, there is only a little time before the entire sky will come crashing down, so there's no time to lose! Neo laughed at the antics this story took and I am happy to say that he sat still as the story progressed. I hope we can find more stories like this, which add a twist to the current tales that have survived for generations.

[Allie Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: 3.6

Chicken Little sets out to the market for his mom, when an acorn falls on his head. This must mean that the sky is falling….little does Chicken Little know that this will take him on a crazy journey.

This story has elaborate pictures throughout the book, making it an engaging picture book. It also is a traditional story that has been told for ages as a folklore, making it traditional literature.

Brave Chicken Little would be an excellent choice for a book to show students the importance of authentic ideas. The book uses alliteration when using words like dilly dally. It also uses rhyming words, which help to give rhythm to the book when it’s read out loud. Each character’s name rhymes: Turkey Lurkey and Henny Penny and Ducky Lucky. These rhymes help the reader to remember their names. The words that rhyme with each character’s animal type are also made up, but they add to the story’s lightheartedness. The book shows students that they can be creative and stretch their imaginations when they are writing.

Secondly, the concept of the sky falling is a little “far out there,” but shows students that their writing can explore some far fetched ideas. It shows them that sometimes the more creative they are, the more entertaining it can be to write it, and then in turn reading it.

The Brave Chicken Little could also be used to teach a compare and contrast lesson, as there are many different versions of this story.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of a classic tale. While on the way to the market, Chicken Little was bonked on the head by an acorn that fell from a tree. Chicken Little in a panic tells everyone he meets that the sky is falling. This error in judgement leads to a near disaster, but sound reasoning helps Chicken Little avert disaster while saving his friends. A hard lesson is learned, and never forgotten.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the sky is falling story, with a new ending. Very cute. Chicken little gets into a world of trouble but using his brain, he figures a way to save him and all of his friends from the trick the sneaky fox pulled on them.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun tongue twister.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork that really gave life to a classic tale.

[Guadalupe Arcibar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so adorable for children that are young because it almost relates to chicken little the movie. This book is about a brave chicken that was invisible by anyone that came across to him. Overall a great children book to read aloud to the children that are younger!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Spanish and English, has lots of words so not for toddler storytime.

[Heather Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

unnecessarily complicated ending. Just let the fox eat them. Nicely illustrated...

[Hannah Wambach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially chose this book to accompany my classic stories unit taught at the start of the year. But, as I read I realized that this book is capable of teaching so much more to the Kindergarten reader. This is the traditional tale of the classic character "Chicken Little" and his not-so-bright pals. But, this story has a twist, Chicken Little saves his friends and stands up to the evil fox. Classroom applications are bountiful. Students can discuss bullying and how to handle bullying situations. Students can compare and contrast Brave Chicken Little to the classic Chicken Little story. They could map the character development through the story and parallel this to a time in their life when they displayed bravery and helped others. At the start of the year, when foundational phonemic awareness is critical they could list the names of the characters (Foxy Loxy, Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey etc.) and then morph their first name into a similar rhyming pair. I look forward to utilizing this title in my classroom in the near future.

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I brought this book out and my kids saw the title, my nine-year-old's reaction was, "Oh, this story is sad!" The other version we like to read is from Lucy Cousin's wonderful book of fairy tales called "Yummy!", in which Henny Penny and her friends meet a rather gruesome demise at the hands of Foxy Woxy. But my kids were all delighted to find that in Byrd's retelling, it is Chicken Little who does the out-foxing. We loved seeing the story turned on its head, and I was particularly entertained by Chicken Little's canny ability to put his mistaken assumption that the sky is falling to his own advantage. The illustrations are both beautiful and engaging with so much detail and expression. This is a book we were all very pleased to add to our library.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a marvelous retelling of “Chicken Little”! I love that our young chick here is a real problem-solver. When faced with a serious situation, he calmly handles it (unlike in the original story). The illustrations are breath-taking, and I think it is really cool how they have an old-time feeling to them. I like that the clothes match the time period the art style portrays. Mr. Byrd has written a wonderful version of Chicken Little while still keeping the great fairytale feel to the story!
*NOTE * I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Romelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the classic story Henny Penny, more commonly known in the US as CHICKEN LITTLE. The story is in prose but the dialogue of Foxy Loxy is in rhyme, which is a nice combination. I love that author/illustrator Robert Byrd took the liberty to create a happy ending (contrary to the original story). Love the drama, the suspense, and the adventure of the animals which Byrd has done well. But I didn't quite like the last page. Nevertheless, I like this new version.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated version of Chicken Little. While I enjoyed this lovely version as an adult, its detailed illustrations and lack of humor will make this a tough sell in my school library. I agree with the SLJ review that states this selection is best for collections with extensive, well-circulating folktale collections.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brave Chicken Little (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), August 7, 2014) retold and illustrated by Robert Byrd takes the familiar broadening and deepening the story line. This story, his vision of a classic, rekindles our love of folklore and its capacity to entertain and expand our thinking.

My full recommendation: http://bit.ly/1ww04qU

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely retelling of the Chicken Little fable with lots of wonderful illustrations and a happy ending. It would be good for a read aloud setting because of the size of the pictures, but children will be equally as interested in looking closely at the pictures to see their detail.

[Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were sweet. The ending to me could have been more mind blowing. I read the last page again and a different point of view on how I originally interpreted it, made me change my star rating to a 2.93*

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun new twist on an old favorite. Although Chicken Little's sudden personality change (from easily alarmed screaming mimi to a stop-and-think hero) is a trifle unbelievable, the book is charming and bopping Foxy Loxy on the head with apples is good fun!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The handsome illustrations are the star attraction in this fun reimagining of the folktale.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

artwork is not necessarily my preference, but it is very well done. A good twist on the traditional ending.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice retelling with a little bit of rhyming- was ecstatic that BRUNCH was mentioned.

[Harla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version of Chicken Little was a delightful read. Illustrations were great and I would definitely read to a group of preschoolers. We do not own it and we should!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The retelling of this well-known story has an ending I'm not familiar with.
Detailed illustrations have a softness to them.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun retelling of Chicken Little, beautifully illustrated in exquisite detail. Don't miss Foxy Loxy's dialog all in rhyme.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations highlights this retelling of Chicken Little.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brave Chicken Little by Robert Byrd – Very humorous take on the traditional Chicken Little story. Enjoyed the changes this author added to the story and was amused by the ending.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The familiar Chicken Little story with a new ending.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic story with beautifully detailed illustrations. One of the best books I've seen for this tale!

[Shannon Lionheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Retelling.

Love rhyming books for littles.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5