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32 pp.
| Holiday
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-3201-1$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Herm Auch
&
Mary Jane Auch.
Henrietta the chicken pretends to be human in order to find a publisher for her picture book, Chickergarten. Though it gets rave reviews (a star in "The Corn Book"!), she attends a book festival as herself and causes quite a ruckus. The (rather jarring) digital illustrations comically depict Henrietta's antics; goofy chicken--and adult-aimed publishing-insider--jokes are sprinkled throughout the text.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| March, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-2087-2$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Herm Auch
&
Mary Jane Auch.
Henrietta, Souperchicken's punning hen star, finds writing so "eggshilarating" that she vows to get a book published. Following an amusingly daffy all-chicken brainstorming session, the story takes an adult-geared detour, parodying the cruelties of the publishing world (the "Corn" Book Magazine is not spared), before coming back around. The illustrations are a discombobulating marriage of oil paintings and digital technology.
153 pp.
| Holiday
| October, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-2088-9$16.95
(3)
4-6
Pup K-10 describes his difficulties living on his own after having been disappointed by various owners. His adventures include stints in animal shelters, run-ins with vicious dogs, and a flirtation with a life of crime. Dog lovers will be drawn in by K-10's winning first-person narration and his good heart.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| September, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-1990-6$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mary Jane Auch
&
Herm Auch.
After beauty shop proprietor Beauty, a chicken, learns that customer Lance, a turkey, has been marked for a farmer's Thanksgiving dinner, she decides to use her skills as a beautician to disguise him. The pun-filled text ("eggsclusive"; "Wattle I do?") and over-the-top art--hand-sewn and sculpted creations festooned with feathers--are a bit too eggstreme and would have benefited from a little restraint.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| April, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1804-9$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mary Jane Auch
&
Herm Auch.
In this clever parody of "Cinderella," the hen Chickerella and her Fairy Goosemother love fashion design, while the prince is really into "eggscessories." Their "happily ever after" includes not marriage, but a business partnership and the creation of a "fashion line called Chickerella." For the funny, original illustrations, the Auchs made and photographed their own feathered models, complete with elaborate costumes.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| September, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1756-5$$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mary Jane Auch
&
Herm Auch.
Rowdy roosters Rudy and Ralph cause a lot of barnyard racket, disturbing Clarissa the cow and Sophie the pig. As all the animals prepare for a Halloween parade, a ghostly figure appears in the barn, and the two noisy roosters fear that they've awoken the fabled "poultrygeist." The humorous story is accompanied by unpretentious, colorful art depicting the animals decked out in their Halloween garb.
73 pp.
| Holiday
| May, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1775-1$$15.95
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Herm Auch
&
Herm Auch.
A talking dog named Arful must help watch over the beloved (and overrated) class pet--an obnoxious chicken--that his young owner has brought home during Christmas vacation. But the chicken has ideas of her own. Though the plot is slim and the human characters are flat, Arful is sympathetic, adding his humorous observations to this quick read. The story is illustrated with simple black-and-white spot art.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| April, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1704-2$$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mary Jane Auch
&
Herm Auch.
Henrietta's love of reading comes in handy when the older chickens are shipped out to go on "vacation"--in a truck labeled "Souper Soup Co." A full-fledged caper ensues as Henrietta helps rescue her friends and find them a safe haven at a vegetarian farmer's house. While somewhat long-winded and heavy-handed, the story and its colorful mixed-media artwork are amusing.
250 pp.
| Holt
| May, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6686-1$$16.95
(3)
YA
Re-creating the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire for its climax, this novel follows sixteen-year-old Irish immigrant Rose Nolan's first few months in New York: her family's separation at Ellis Island, an uncomfortable stay with inhospitable relatives, and her work at the soon-to-be notorious factory. Deftly depicting--but not stereotyping--ethnic rivalries, this is fast-moving and emotionally involving historical fiction.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1683-6$$16.95
(3)
K-3
When Princess Paulina enters a competition for the hand of Prince Drupert, she inadvertently cooks up a wonderful new delicacy: pizza. Quickly abandoning the idea of marrying the unappealing Drupert, Paulina opens a pizza restaurant instead. Auch uses a modern voice to spoof her story's fairy-tale elements. The jaunty artwork, with exaggerated characters, echoes the humor in the text.
87 pp.
| Holiday
| May, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1576-7$$15.95
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Herm Auch.
This is a funny follow-up to I Was a Third Grade Science Project. Because an experiment in the first book goes wrong, Arful Lewis, a dog, can talk. In alternating chapters headed by thumbnail drawings of the narrators, Arful and human third-grader Josh tell their versions of preparations for the school talent show. The illustrations have a sketchy, amateurish quality, but the text's droll humor moves this chapter book along.
216 pp.
| Holt
| July, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-4921-5$$16.95
(2)
4-6
Set in 1817, the final book in the trilogy that began with Journey to Nowhere and continued with Frozen Summer follows thirteen-year-old Mem as she sets off with her brother and small sister to find their mother's family in Connecticut. The well-researched historical slice of life brings the story of Mem's coming of age to a satisfying conclusion.
Reviewer: Mary M. Burns
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2000
32 pp.
| Holiday
| October, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1524-4$$16.95
(4)
K-3
A young duck named Clara wants to know what Christmas is. She braves a parked tractor, timid deer, and hungry fox on her quest, only to end up where she started and to find that her barnyard friends have planned a surprise Christmas party. Auch's story is poorly developed, but the text has some funny, dramatic moments and the artwork is simple and colorful.
202 pp.
| Holt
| December, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-4923-1$$15.95
(2)
4-6
Set in the early nineteenth century just after the War of 1812, this sequel to Journey to Nowhere is a tragedy brightened only by the resiliency of its narrator, twelve-year-old Remembrance Nye. The family's crops are killed by frost, and then Mem's mother, homesick and depressed, retreats from reality, neglecting her newborn daughter. The novel is a well-paced, bracingly realistic portrait of pioneer life.
Reviewer: Mary M. Burns
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 1999
96 pp.
| Holiday
| January, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1357-8
(4)
K-3
Pals Brian and Josh have a great idea for their science fair project: hypnotize Brian's dog to make him think he's a cat. Their experiment seems to have a limited effect on the dog, but Josh soon starts exhibiting feline behavior. Although the story is sometimes too obvious, kids will relish the absurd premise and the ensuing high jinks, as well as the snappy, realistic dialogue and surprise ending.