Earl and Pearl do not want Chicken's help in the garden, until a swarm of grasshoppers arrives and her true talent shines. - (Baker & Taylor)

Booklist Reviews

Brand-new readers will get a kick out of this I Can Read! Level 2 story about a poor chicken who just wants to help. Friends Earl and Pearl are planting pumpkins, but every time they turn around there s a big white chicken. The word shoo becomes an integral part of the text, as the kids try to get rid of the chicken as they plant and water. Then one day the grasshoppers come, and no matter how Earl and Pearl try to shoo them away, these nibblers hold their ground and pose a problem for the pumpkins. Enter the chicken, who with flapping wings has a much more effective shooing style. The text is as simple as it can be, but together with the amusing ink-and-watercolor art, all sorts of emotions are aired: annoyance, dejection, frustration, and jubilation when the pumpkins are spared. An amusing choice for new readers. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

A pesky chicken's constant dirt-scratching threatens friends Earl and Pearl's pumpkin-growing project. They banish the chicken from the pumpkin patch--until grasshoppers descend. Chicken, with a few authoritative clucks, manages to save the day. The book's careful accumulating structure, repeated refrain, and controlled yet piquant vocabulary are big plusses for new readers. Truesdell's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations provide humor, characterization, and action. Copyright 2009 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

>From first-time author Grant, a satisfying story with conflict and resolution, action and emotion, in an I Can Read aimed at the earliest of emerging readers. Friends Earl and Pearl set out to grow pumpkins, but a pesky chicken's constant scratching in the dirt threatens their project. "'Shoo!' said Earl. 'Shoo! Shoo!' said Pearl. 'Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!' said Chicken." Finally, the dejected Chicken is banished from the garden -- until, one day, a horde of grasshoppers descends upon the pumpkin patch. Now the shoo is on the other foot as the children try unsuccessfully to chase the pumpkin-nibbling invaders away. Enter Chicken, who dispatches the grasshoppers with a few authoritative clucks and saves the day/pumpkins. "'Hooray!' said Earl. 'Hooray! Hooray!' said Pearl. 'Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!' said Chicken." The book's careful accumulating structure ("Earl gave Chicken one pumpkin. Pearl gave Chicken two pumpkins"), repeated refrain, and controlled yet piquant vocabulary are all big plusses for new readers. Truesdell's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations provide humor, characterization, and action (see Chicken abject with rejection! See Chicken make like a jet after the routed grasshoppers! See Chicken take a bow!). In all, a gift for emerging readers -- and not just during pumpkin season. Copyright 2009 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

New readers and new gardeners alike will cluck with pleasure at the adventures of Earl and Pearl. Earl and Pearl want to grow pumpkins, so they set off, seed packet and shovel in hand, to begin their new garden. Pesky Chicken wants in on the fun, but the kids just shoo her off, over and over. When grasshoppers take up residence in the pumpkin patch, Chicken shows that she is good for something after all. Familiar easy-to-decode and sight words make this an ideal book for the newest reader. The repeated "Shoo! Shoo!" and "Cluck! Cluck!" add to the action, ensuring laughter and reading success. A generous font, very short sentences and careful text placement make this a notch better than most books for the very beginning reader. Truesdell's familiar and amusing illustrations perfectly reflect the spirit of the story of a boy (a boy of color!), a girl and a chicken, tending to their pumpkins. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus 2008 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

K-Gr 2—When Earl and Pearl start a pumpkin patch, they often need to shoo Chicken out of the way, but she is determined to help. In the end, when grasshoppers begin to "nibble, nibble" on the growing pumpkins, Chicken's refrain of "Cluck! Cluck! Cluck" saves the day. This easy reader has short sentences, a variety of verb tenses, and vowel and consonant blends and digraphs. Difficult words such as "garden," "chicken," and "pumpkin" are repeated several times. Emergent readers may chime in with their own "Shoo, Shoos" and "Cluck, Cluck." The funny, expressive pen-and-ink drawings support the reading with simple clarity, e.g., "Earl watered the seeds" is the caption for an illustration of the boy with a huge watering can, Chicken hovering nearby. This could be an opportune time to introduce a September lesson on grasshoppers while they're easily found or wait for October's pumpkins.—Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA