Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-boiled Mystery

by Brianna Caplan Sayres, Mark Fearing (Illustrator)

Overview

A barnyard mystery takes on a noir-esque spin in this hilarious picture book chock full of puns, perfect for fans of 7 Ate 9 and Interrupting Chicken.

Inspector H. Poulet has a new case on her wings. The Chicken has apparently crossed the road, and no one knows why.

Can the Inspector get to the bottom of this tangled nest of questions? Squawking from one udderly unhelpful clue to the next, H. Poulet follows The Chicken’s path across the farm. But the case seems totally scrambled! If the Inspector can’t solve it soon, she’ll have egg on her face.

In the end, the mystery resolves itself with a sunny-side-up twist: a surprise birthday party awaits H. Poulet on the other side of the road. The animals flock together for a barnyard bash, and the Inspector retains her eggcellent reputation—despite having missed all evidence of the party.

From the bestselling author of Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?, this laugh-out-loud farm adventure has wacky, kid friendly illustrations by animator Mark Fearing. Readers young and old will love spotting the clues that H. Poulet overlooks and relish every cleverly crafted pun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823458271
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brianna Caplan Sayres is the best-selling author of the Where Do . . series. Her debut picture book, Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?, has sold over a million copies to date and has appeared on the best seller lists at: Amazon, ABA Indiebound, USA Today and Walmart.com. Brianna lives in Seattle with her two book-loving boys.

Mark Fearing has never been bitten by a werewolf, a zombie, or a vampire. But he was bitten by the creative bug which is far more dangerous. Books he's illustrated include The Middle School Bites series, by Steven Banks, The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot, by Margaret McNamara, and Ben Franklin's in My Bathroom!, by Candace Fleming, as well as Giant Pants, which won the Oregon Spirit Book Award. He lives in Oregon with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Sunny-hued, digitally finished pencil illustrations by Fearing (Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine) portray an expressive, googly-eyed animal cast, all remarkably skilled at secret-keeping. This blend of detective fiction and farmyard fun offers read-aloud audiences and emerging readers a solid introduction to the mystery genre, with just enough goofiness to keep them clucking.
—Publishers Weekly

Spotting hidden clues, such as wrapped gifts, birthday hats, and balloons tucked away, allows readers a chance to solve the case themselves. . . . Charming. . . .
—School Library Journal

Youngsters will enjoy discovering new clues on repeat readings.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-05-30
A sleuthing chicken follows a trail of clues to try to solve an age-old question.

For her very first case, Inspector Poulet’s friends bring her a big one: Why did the Chicken—who, with her sister the Egg, rules the roost at the henhouse—cross the road? With each new tip or clue, Inspector Poulet gets closer to solving the mystery, but a twist lands the plucky investigator at the center of the solution. Eagle-eyed readers will pick up on hints to the story’s ending by paying close attention to the illustrations. The text is littered with chicken and farm puns, and though they’re admittedly well used, there are so many that they become a distraction. The central mystery is very tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a convoluted push to arrive at the story’s ending. Inspector Poulet wears a chicken-size brown trench coat and flower-adorned fedora. The chickens have large, round eyes with long eyelashes that are largely responsible for conveying their expressions. Setting the scene well with cartoon artwork and making effective use of light and shadow, Fearing relies on varying page layouts and perspectives; some images are split panes, while others are inset in larger illustrations. Though the storyline is muddy, youngsters will enjoy discovering new clues on repeat readings.

A somewhat scrambled mystery that still offers some farmyard fun.(Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews