Chicken Dance

by Tammi Sauer, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Marge and Lola, chickens on a mission: to win tickets for the Elvis Poultry Show! But their toughest competition—a pack of menacing ducks—sneers that “all a chicken can do is bawk, flap, and shake.” Can our two feisty chicks show those quackers how to rock ’n’ roll the barnyard?

Tammi Sauer and Dan Santat have whipped up a giddy, goofy romp where cows fly over the moon, ducks surf in a water trough, and one very familiar-looking rooster gets all shook up!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402753664
Publisher:	Sterling
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Tammi Sauer is a full-time children’s book author of numerous picture books, including Cowboy Camp, Chicken Dance, Nugget & Fang, Your Alien, and Mary Had a Little Glam. Tammi and her family live in Edmond, Oklahoma.
 
Dan Santat is the author and/or illustrator of more than one hundred titles, including the Caldecott Medal winner The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. He graduated with honors from the Art Center College of Design and is the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and various pets.

Editorial Reviews

A duck-and-chicken rivalry turns foul in this outrageous offering. Barn animals compete in a talent show to win Elvis Poultry concert tickets; after all, the King's "top bird." For chickens Marge and Lola, practice proves fruitless: Bowling squashes them flat, juggling sets feathers on fire and flying leaves the duo disoriented and "up to their wattles" in the haystack. The bullying ducks taunt them along the way. "Don't bother, drumsticks. Ducks win every year." During the night's grand show, the chickens' typical squawking and flapping leaves Elvis impressed with the dynamic divas. The zippy narrative features punchy dialogue and witty interactions; creative wordplay abounds ("Let's bawk and roll!"). Droll delivery soars high, advancing the story line to its playful conclusion. Santat's rich ink-and-acrylic designs provide a humorous context through animated expressions. Elvis, in his signature sequined white suit and dark shades, dominates his double-page spreads. Utilizing shadow and depth, warm colors provide the background for the energetic antics. Fly the coop to enjoy this hilarious adventure. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"The zippy narrative features punchy dialogue and witty interactions; creative wordplay abounds ("Let's bawk and roll!"). Droll delivery soars high, advancing the story line to its playful conclusion. Santat's rich ink-and-acrylic designs provide a humorous context through animated expressions . . . Utilizing shadow and depth, warm colors provide the backgrounds for the energetic antics. Fly the coop to enjoy this hilarious adventure." —Kirkus Reviews 
 

"With snappy banter...and tightly constructed storytelling, Sauer (Cowboy Camp) pulls off the neat trick of both embracing and spoofing the against-all-odds genre. Totally in sync with his collaborator, Santat's . . . sculptural, mixed media pictures exude an old-fashioned, theatrical drama that lifts the many jokes—visual and textual—into sublime silliness." —Publishers Weekly 

 

From the Publisher