Beaky Barnes: Egg on the Loose (Beaky Barnes #1)

In this sprawling inaugural graphic novel by Stein (Don’t Worry, Murray), which kicks off with a dramatis personae, readers meet the eponymous, clucking, human-size chicken, who’s the boon companion of a successful inventor. But the friendship falters when the inventor discounts both Beaky’s chickenhood (“She’s never laid an egg in her life”) and her autonomy (the inventor’s next big idea: a chicken pedicab, pulled by none other than Beaky). When Beaky suddenly lays an egg just as a nearby chef hunts for one, her course becomes clear: go on the lam, reunite with the egg’s father, and hatch that chick. Numerous subplots unspool, including one devoted to a fish’s college dreams (“I’ve got big plans for the future and being grilled isn’t one of them”) and another following a dedicated health and safety inspector who nearly stumbles onto a kitchen-based animal haven. Throughout, the action is regularly interrupted by commercials pushing products, including barrels for people who have lost their clothes (“Abashed by your sudden nudity?”). In inky cartoon panels that cross the narrative irreverence of the Marx Brothers with the breakneck silliness of French farce, Stein’s story affirms the folly of pigeonholing anyone—even a very big chicken. Human characters are portrayed with light skin. Ages 6–9. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Jan.)