Chicken

by Lisl Weil

Seeking friends in his new city neighborhood, Julio is alarmed when the boys urge him to steal in order to gain acceptance to their group.

63 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Lisl Weil was a children’s author and illustrator, most remembered for her ink and felt pen drawings. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1910, and it was during her Austrian childhood that Weil gained her first interest in the arts, particularly in music and the visual arts. It was an interest that became a life long passion and pursuit. While living in Europe, Weil worked as an illustrator for various European periodicals; after immigrating to the United States in 1939, Weil became a U.S. citizen, married Julius Marx, and began writing and illustrating children’s books, an occupation that she continued for 37 years. Lisl Weil illustrated over 100 books, many of which she wrote. She also pursued her love for music, channeling her energy into a musical venture for children. She involved herself in performance art and created life-size drawings that were choreographed to move rhythmically to a musical score. She called this “a real picture ballet” and the ballets were performed for children at concert halls around the U.S. Weil was also involved in the television and film industries; one of her children’s stories was made into a movie and she had a weekly television show for children during 1963-1964. Weil passed away in February 2006.

Reviews

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange story, about a young boy named Julio, living in 'the projects' of what I have assumed is New York (and Spanish Harlem, specifically).

Julio lives with his elder sister, who is his guardian (orphaned in a bus accident). He has a dog called Yaps, and the whole first chapter is primarily dedicated to 'his tree' that he has to leave behind when they are evicted.

Julio needs (and gets) glasses, and then seeks to make new friends in his new neighbourhood. He falls in with a gang involved in graffiti (a 'new' art form at the time!), shoplifting and pickpocketing.

He then falls into a proper summer (and after-school) job at a local Spanish cafe, and then falls into a band, with the former (reformed?) gang members.

It's weird, because the gang labels him a chicken (because they believe all kids with glasses are chicken), which is where the title comes from, but... well it's odd, because there's no real resolution or anything, just a 'slice of life' in what almost amounts to a stream-of-consciousness narrative.

I rather liked it, for nostalgic purposes - the cafe owner Mr. Munoz installs a brand new dispensing Coca-Cola machine on the advice of his musician nephew and bending to public demand, and it's a big hit in the neighbourhood. Julio's sister is keen on anything he undertakes, so long as it's educational, and she's preoccupied with making sure he'll attend college. Yaps, the dog, has an adventure or two as well.

A strange little free read on OpenLibrary.