Blue chicken by Deborah Freedman

Picture books are often a guilty pleasure for adult readers, something we can only enjoy when there are children around to justify our picking them up.  There are just a few picture books that make the raised eyebrows from other adults worthwhile, and this is one of them!  Some of my co-workers already know that I have a soft spot for picture books that are a little bit quirky or strange, and Blue chicken is one of those quirky books.

A lovely picture of a barnyard and barnyard animals is on a drawing table minding its own business when one of the chickens decides to climb onto the blue paint pot - which results in blue paint going everywhere!  Soon all the animals are covered in blue and the blue paint continues to spread, all because one little chicken wanted to help out.  I won't ruin the ending, but it is charming and reminds me of another book called Wait! No paint, but this is a much simpler book and will (hopefully) appeal to adults and children of all ages.

If you like this book then try:

• Wait! No paint! by Bruce Whately
• Giggle, giggle, quack by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
• Click, clack, moo: cows that type by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
• Cushie Butterfield (she's a little cow) by Colin McNaughton
• If you give a mouse a cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff; illustrated by Felicia Bond

Reviewed by Brilla