  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/01/2016 A likable little chick in a multispecies classroom, Lily has her strong points. She is “a careful colorer, a patient puzzler, and the quietest hide-and-seeker,” but she is also, well, . . . chicken. She is reluctant to raise her hand in class and resistant to trying new foods in the lunchroom. When the teacher announces a Grand-Slam Poetry Jam, her classmates are wildly enthusiastic, but not Lily. Still, after brooding about it, she hatches a plan. With encouragement from her friends, Lily writes a poem and reads it aloud on stage—one small step for a shy, careful chick. The straightforward text includes a number of chicken-themed puns to amuse kids, while offering an unstated, encouraging message about the possibility of change. Crittenden’s gentle pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor washes lend the story an accessible, cartoonlike look. Every classroom has it shy kids, but this picture book thrusts one into the spotlight and lets her shine. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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