Extraordinary Warren: A Super Chicken

Warren, the self-important chicken of the title, doesn’t realize that Millard the rat is flattering him because he’s considering eating Warren for dinner. “I think I might be a special chicken!” Warren confides. Millard gushes right back: “It is possible you could even be... Chicken Supreme!” Fortunately, Warren spots Millard’s cookbook, 1001 Recipes for Chicken, and when he discovers that Millard has plans for the rest of the flock, he gets to be the superhero he’s always dreamed of being. Dillard (Perfectly Arugula) has a solid grasp of the possibilities of sequential art, drawing panels that break up physical processes like learning to fly (where Warren runs into some trouble) and following Warren as he trudges over a hill, ruminating about his failure to warn the flock. Warren’s sidekick, an egg who eventually hatches, is the story’s sweetest surprise: “Is this farm the whole world or is there more?” the chick asks. “Did you know that I’d be so yellow and fuzzy?” A good-humored story that nicely blends picture book, chapter book, and graphic novel elements. Ages 6–9. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Feb.)