3 out of 4 stars
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Chickie and the Great Barnyard Benefit by Bee Urabazo is a fantastical children’s chapter book. The story centers around Chickie, a giant baby chick who is adopted by Loren and Tony, a loving human couple. After finding Chickie out in a storm one night, the couple takes him in and makes him a part of their family on Stagecoach Lane. In the same storm, a flock of birds flying over Stagecoach Lane is hurt and must stop to rest and recuperate. Along with Chickie, the animals living nearby decide to hold a benefit to gather food for the injured birds. Throughout this process, Chickie must find his place on Stagecoach Lane and in the world while Loren and Tony discover that the human and animal worlds are not as separated as they previously seemed.
I really enjoyed the construction of this book. The illustrations are delightful and helped me understand how the various animals compare in terms of size. They also gave life to Chickie and his animal friends, who have very expressive faces. I also liked that Chickie struggled with many of the things that young children might have issues with. Chickie experiences bullying and exclusion from a social group that he wants to fit into. He also has to overcome stage fright so he can perform at the benefit.
Conversely, there were some elements that I didn’t enjoy in the story. There is no explanation for Chickie’s size, which is comparable to that of a 2-year-old child. All of the other animals are sized normally. At first, Loren and Tony treat him like an animal, but he eventually begins to speak, so they treat him more like a child. By the end of the book, people outside of the family are also treating Chickie like a human, while the other animals are still treated like animals.
With all of these things considered, I would rate Chickie and the Great Barnyard Benefit 3 out of 4 stars. It teaches valuable lessons about growing up in the context of a cute story. However, some elements were confusing, leading me to remove a star.
I would recommend this book for children ages 5 to 9. It doesn’t include difficult vocabulary, but it is longer than most picture books and has chapters. Parents may want to read one or two chapters with their child each day at bedtime. With 40 chapters, this fun book could last a kid for weeks.
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Chickie And The Great Barnyard Benefit
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