The team behind Head, Body, Legs
takes on another traditional Liberian tale likely to acquire the timeless patina of a classic. All of the staple ingredients come into play here: animals that mirror human traits, a veiled threat and a happy ending. But the collaborators add a generous dash of modern sparkle with wonderful characterizations and language that echoes oral storytelling. The savvy Mrs. Chicken, rendered as a symphony of oranges and reds, stripes and polka dots, steals the show. Captured by a ravenous crocodile and imprisoned in the predator's island home, she manages to avoid appearing as the entrée by insisting they are sisters. Her obtuse captor, whose scales appear as a quilt of riverbed greens and browns, is incredulous ("You're not my sister. You have speckled feathers. I have green skin. You have a beak. I have a mouth with sharp teeth") but gives the captive a chance to prove herself. Mrs. Chicken hatches a clever plan that spares her life and results in a comical conclusion. Paschkis's fluid, graphic illustrations recall cave drawings and Matisse's cut-outs. She visually sets up the conflict between the two protagonists as Mrs. Chicken peers into the river and sees a green scaly image instead of her own, and later hints at the feathered heroine's plan with precisely arranged compositions of the two characters, each guarding her eggs, against a jet-black background. Readers young and old will cluck with delight. Ages 3-7. (May)
