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  • Published: 15 January 2018
  • ISBN: 9781770497900
  • Imprint: Tundra Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $16.99

Sonya's Chickens




A beautifully told story about love, loss and the circle of life from Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award winner Phoebe Wahl. Warm, nostalgic illustrations capture the earthy feel of this book about a little girl's chicken who is stolen by a fox.

A beautifully told story about love, loss and the circle of life from Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award winner Phoebe Wahl. Warm, nostalgic illustrations capture the earthy feel of this book about a little girl's chicken who is stolen by a fox.


     Sonya raises her three chickens from the time they are tiny chicks. She feeds them, shelters them and loves them. Everywhere Sonya goes, her chicks are peeping at her heels. Under her care, the chicks grow into hens and even give Sonya a wonderful gift: an egg! One night, Sonya hears noises coming from the chicken coop and discovers that one of her hens has disappeared. Where did the hen go? What happened to her? When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature.

  • Published: 15 January 2018
  • ISBN: 9781770497900
  • Imprint: Tundra Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $16.99

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Praise for Sonya's Chickens

PRAISE FOR Sonya's Chickens:

Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award
Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award
KirkusReviews: Best picture books of 2015
School Library Journal: Best picture books of 2015

"This lesson of the interdependence among all living things in nature is gently told, accompanied by colorful watercolor and collage illustrations that show the multicultural family's life on a farm . . . The story presents the circle of life in a very comforting but realistic manner. The bright pictures do not mince matters: one shows the fox with the hen in his mouth but the next balances it with him curled up protectively in his den with the kits. . . Most libraries will want to include this lovely book in their picture book collections." --Starred Review, School Library Journal

"A father's thoughtful explanation provides a helpful perspective for a child's loss. . . . There's an old-fashioned feel to this simple story and its timeless illustrations, created with watercolor, collage, and colored pencil and reminiscent of Goodnight Moon in mood, design, and palette...Both words and illustrations emphasize comfort and the security a family can provide . . . A reassuring story about death in the natural world, thoughtfully designed and illustrated." --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR Sonya's Chickens:

Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award
Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award
KirkusReviews: Best picture books of 2015
School Library Journal: Best picture books of 2015

"This lesson of the interdependence among all living things in nature is gently told, accompanied by colorful watercolor and collage illustrations that show the multicultural family's life on a farm . . . The story presents the circle of life in a very comforting but realistic manner. The bright pictures do not mince matters: one shows the fox with the hen in his mouth but the next balances it with him curled up protectively in his den with the kits. . . Most libraries will want to include this lovely book in their picture book collections." --Starred Review, School Library Journal

"A father's thoughtful explanation provides a helpful perspective for a child's loss. . . . There's an old-fashioned feel to this simple story and its timeless illustrations, created with watercolor, collage, and colored pencil and reminiscent of Goodnight Moon in mood, design, and palette...Both words and illustrations emphasize comfort and the security a family can provide . . . A reassuring story about death in the natural world, thoughtfully designed and illustrated." --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews