WHERE ARE MY CHICKS?

A British pair demonstrates the virtues of humility in this lushly illustrated volume. Mother Hen frantically clucks like, well, a mother hen: "My chicks, my chicks! I've lost my chicks!" while the snooty goose casts aspersions on the hen's parenting skills (" 'You should take better care of your chicks,' said Mother Goose"). But with some reconnaissance work by the other farm inhabitants, and enumerating assistance by a wise owl, all four are accounted for—along with a quartet of errant goslings. When Mother Hen admonishes the goose parent in kind, however, she loses track of her chicks once more. Grindley's minimalist text moves the story forward apace, while Newton's softly textured, full-bleed acrylic illustrations carry the show. There's a luscious depth to her neon palette, and her chunky-looking animal and insect cast contributes to a strong graphic pull and an appealing comic heft. Ages 1-3. (Feb.)