Chicken in School

Having conquered the skies in Chicken in Space, Lehrhaupt’s poultry protagonist, Zoey, steps into the role of teacher at a barnyard school. Not every animal is convinced of Zoey’s qualifications or curriculum (“Books are for reading! Crayons are for coloring! And you can’t skip math!” protests Clara the cow), but Zoey’s energy and outside-the-box thinking win the (school) day. Kober’s grainy, posterlike images manage to feel vintage and contemporary in one fell swoop, and readers will respect the outside-the-box wisdom in Zoey’s assertion that books are for “building imagination” and crayons for “creating adventures.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (June)