A CHICK CALLED SATURDAY

A chick finds his true calling in this sunny-hued picture book about self-discovery and acceptance. Saturday is the most inquisitive chick in his family. He marvels at all the other creatures in the barnyard, wondering why he can't be like them instead of his plain old self. Despite his mother's frequent command to simply "Get in line!", Saturday eagerly tries to fly like a blackbird, swim like a duck and honk like a gosling—with very disheartening results. But when Saturday sees a gloriously plumed rooster and hears its rousing cock-a-doodle-doo, the chick can't wait to emulate him, and he finds that crowing is a perfect fit. Dunbar's (Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep) breezy pace and repetitive refrains will keep young readers happily down on the farm, though Mother Hen's admonitions to conform seem overdone. Granström's (Baby Knows Best) airy pencil-lined watercolors depict farm life at its bucolic best. Her various animals have realistic features but are just anthropomorphic enough in expression to make them endearing characters. And Saturday's red nub of a cock's comb charmingly foreshadows his call to barnyard greatness. All ages. (Aug.)