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32 pp.
| Dial
| August, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3952-9$16.99
(3)
PS
Loopy Coop Hens series.
In this, their fourth adventure, hens Midge, Pip, and Dot are threatened by a fox; Rooster Sam intends to protect them, but it's Dot who saves the day. The controlled vocabulary, simple sentences, and division into six brief chapters make this ideal for both new readers and preschool listeners. Once again, the humorous, well-composed illustrations focus appropriately on character and action.
32 pp.
| Dial
| February, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3768-6$16.99
(2)
PS
Midge, Pip, and Dot (The Loopy Coop Hens) are sitting under the apple tree when apples start to rain down upon them. The brave hens investigate, climbing a ladder to the top of the tree and discovering...gravity. Stoeke employs a minimum of words to invest her characters with a maximum of personality; acrylic illustrations eschew backgrounds for close-ups of hens, apples, tree, and action.
32 pp.
| Dial
| January, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3708-2$16.99
(3)
PS
Loopy Coop Hens series.
The stars of The Loopy Coop Hens are back and confounded again, this time about where the farmer's truck goes when it drives off. After Pip hops aboard to find out, skittish Midge and Dot abandon her. Stoeke breathes fresh life into the barnyard setting in this silly tale of friendship. Like the hens, the art is simple but cordial.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| March, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-42190-0$16.99
(2)
PS
Chickens Midge, Pip, and Dot swoon over Rooster Sam's snowy-white tail, golden yellow toes, and, especially, his ability to fly. Their worlds are rocked when they discover he doesn't fly; he hops up to the roof from truck then haystack. The hens are consoled by reminders of Rooster Sam's other stellar qualities. Personality, emotion, and humor leap from Stoeke's acrylic double-page spreads.
24 pp.
| Dutton
| August, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-42149-8$16.99
(3)
PS
Hen Minerva Louise has her own perspective (per usual) of Halloween on the farm. Seen through her eyes, the spider-web decorations become new curtains, a skeleton is a very skinny farmer, trick-or-treat baskets are feed buckets, and--yum, candy corn! Stoeke's unfussy drawings provide satisfying visual clarifications of Minerva Louise's silly misinterpretations.
24 pp.
| Dutton
| June, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-47944-4$12.99
(3)
K-3
A class enjoys its visit to the library, where students hear a story then choose books that appeal to their own personal tastes. Stoeke presents a cheerful cast of children of different ethnicities engrossed in books. This simple rhyming tale will be invaluable to school librarians setting expectations for the year.
24 pp.
| Dutton
| September, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-47857-7$15.99
(2)
PS
Chicken Minerva Louise meets a "farmer in a red hat" (Santa) and follows him down a chimney. As with the previous books, young listeners will delight in their own Christmas savvy but will find Minerva Louise too endearing to belittle for her ultra-limited perspective. The book is preschooler-perfect in content, style, and humor, with easy-to-parse illustrations in primary colors.
24 pp.
| Dutton
| July, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-47805-8$12.99
(3)
PS
The experience of riding a school bus is presented in rhyme ("Jackson Bowles / has a backpack that rolls") with a repeated refrain: "And [he/she] can't wait / to bring it / to the bus stop." Stoeke is upbeat but honest: the children look forward even more to the ride home. Minimal text and detail-pared pictures suit this "first experience" book to very young readers.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| May, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-525-47098-0$16.99
(3)
K-3
A young boy waits impatiently for about a year, as his family goes through the complicated process of adopting his little sister from China. Drawing on personal experience, Stoeke offers a great deal of information in simple language, without losing sight of her engaging narrator or his heartwarming story. Her vigorous black line brings the illustrations to life.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| September, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-525-46909-5$$14.99
(2)
PS
Minerva Louise, that wide-eyed ingenue of a chicken, here goes for a ride in the farmer's red truck. As in previous books, she fits everything she sees into her own limited experience, so a church with a steeple is a "silly barn wearing a hat" and a construction site is a truck farm/playground. The brief text and vibrant, well-composed illustrations are once again ideal for the intended audience.
24 pp.
| Dutton
| August, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-525-46439-5$$14.99
(4)
PS
The adventurous Minerva Louise discovers a country fair and explores the exhibits and rides with wonder and curiosity, interpreting what she sees from a farm hen's limited experience. The art sparkles with color, and the round, simple shapes give the book a cozy feeling. The logic of a hen's winning a blue ribbon in the rabbit exhibit isn't entirely clear, but Minerva's guilelessness is refreshing.