Publisher's Weekly Review
Take The 12 Days of Christmas, add a soup?on of French sophistication and a whiff of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and you've got this clever holiday farce. When three French hens sent from Paris as a gift to Philippe Renard instead wind up on the doorstep of Phil Fox in the Bronx, the fun begins. Down-on-his-luck Phil is ready to get the rotisserie roaster rolling for Poulette, Fifi and Colette until the couture-clad trio shows him an abundance of spirit (even though they are kosher hens who celebrate Hanukkah!). Egielski (Hey, Al) goes to the limit with humorous detail, right down to scented candles in the bathroom and the gals' bright, stylish footwear. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Holiday gift-giving goes awry! Stranded in the unclaimed mail department at the New York City post office, three intrepid French hens (separated in the mail from a pear tree and two turtledoves intended for Monsieur Philippe Renard) deliver themselves to down-and-out Phil Fox of the Bronx. When ""his roast, fry and saute"" waltz into his dingy apartment, Phil can't believe his luck. But after the hens provide Phil with a makeover, a home renovation, and some gourmet poultry-free cuisine, he realizes that Colette, Poulette, and Fifi are friends, not entrees. Egielski's detailed watercolor and charcoal line illustrations track Phil's transformation from shifty recluse to suave host as the hens bring light and color everywhere they go. Full of laughs and twists, this feel-good farce will leave readers speaking in French accents. Joyeux Noel! (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Poulette, Colette and Fifi are three très chic chickens from France who arrive in error at Phil Fox's in the Bronx rather than to Philippe Renard's in Paris. Phil is down on his luck and envisions several tasty chicken dinners, but the three French hens quickly transform him with a personal makeover, complete redecorating of his apartment and tons of fine French cuisine. Phil finds he can't possibly eat his kind new friends for dinner, so they celebrate the holidays together, both Christmas and Hanukkah, along with many of the characters from "The 12 Days of Christmas." The hilarious text is full of dramatic flair, amusing references to French culture and some inside jokes for the adults that are laugh-out-loud funny. Caldecott Medalist Egielski contributes a delightfully wily fox and hens with true Parisian panache right down to high heels, hats and purses. This clever and original tale is the sort that is read over and over during any season, quite likely becoming a family favorite in any household that enjoys quirky characters, droll humor and excellent writing. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The three French hens from the familiar Christmas song are sent by a Parisian lady to her boyfriend, Philippe Renard, in New York. Alas, the hens wind up in lost mail, and when they can't find Philippe in the phone book, they think perhaps they should translate his name: Phil Fox. They find Phil Fox, but he's a downtrodden fox living in the Bronx, though he's not so low that he can't envision Colette, Poulette, and Fifi as meals. But while he plans the hens as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they act like makeover mavens from the Style Channel, giving him massages and manicures, redecorating the apartment, and fixing gourmet canapes. No, he can't eat the birds, and insists they must spend Christmas together; they demure, informing Phil that their holiday is Hanukkah. The 12 days of Christmas and the 8 nights of Hanukkah get an interfaith, interspecies celebration in a story that is so much fun, it's hard to imagine an artist milking more laughs from it than Egielski. Phil Fox's transformation from loser to a sophisticate who seems born to wear a smoking jacket is cleverly juxtaposed by the details in the room's decor--the ceiling-to-floor pipe, now painted salmon, blends beautifully into the walls. Something really fresh for the holiday season. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005 Booklist