Catch that chicken! by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

 Apparently, chicken-chasing is a thing. When I saw this book, I was immediately reminded of Janice N. Harrington's The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, which is a favorite of mine. This story is its own, ha ha, bird though.

Returned to the unnamed African village of B is for Baby and Baby goes to market, Atinuke tells the story of an older child, Lami, who is the best in her whole compound at catching chickens. Her siblings, cousins, and friends all have their own things - spelling, braiding, herding - but Lami is the fastest and best chicken catcher! Until one day she goes too fast, slips, and twists her ankle. Bored and hurting, Lami is miserable until Nana Nadia shows her there are other ways to catch chickens besides speed.

Brooksbank shows a busy, loving, colorful community with movement and life in every corner of the compound. There are children learning at their school under the tree, cooking, gardening, herding, and of course chickens everywhere!

Verdict: This is a sweet story, just right for impatient preschoolers. It's short enough to make a good read-aloud and kids and adults will giggle over Lami's antics as she catches those chickens! I'd say this is for a little older audience than the Baby books, but can be enjoyed by preschool and up.

ISBN: 9781536212686; Published July 2020 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library