Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Stayton Public Library | E MURPHY | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Elinor has always enjoyed being just a little bit naughty--until her new friend Violet shows her what naughty really is. The two young chickens burp loudly whenever they can, play dress-up in Elinor's sisters' best clothes, and eat all the cookies that Elinor's mother set aside for her book group. This bright and lively adventure will have readers laughing out loud as they identify with the secret thrill of being just a little bit naughty. Patti Beling Murphy used the most colorful fowl she could find as models--Rhode Island Red, Black Speckled, and Common White chickens among others.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Elinor is a chicken who enjoys being "just a little bit naughty." When Violet, who comes to visit her grandmother for a week, turns out to be even naughtier, the two become fast friends and cause all kinds of trouble for their families. As a result, "Elinor spent more and more time in the time-out corner," and their mischief nearly ruins an outing with Elinor's favorite Aunt Lucy. Fortunately, all is well in the end and her aunt commiserates by saying, "everyone's naughty sometimes." Their pranks include putting a tack on a chair, leaving the water running in the tub until it runs out the door, and defacing pictures in a photo album. When Violet goes home, Elinor's mother breathes a sigh of relief and says, "I must say I'm glad that's over." Readers will join Elinor in her secret smile knowing that Violet will be back. While the bright and lively gouache-on-watercolor-paper illustrations are wonderful, conveying both the naughty and contrite moments well, there are no real consequences to the bad behavior and the story almost seems to condone it.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Elinor barely qualifies as a naughty chicken. "She wrote on the wallsDbut in tiny, tiny letters.... Sometimes, she sang bad words softly under her breath in the bathroom." In the bright gouaches, Elinor frolics in flowered jumpers against gaily patterned wallpaper, and her faults seem trivial. This changes when another mischievous cluck, Violet, comes to the neighborhood for a weeklong visit. " `You don't have to go when your mother calls you,' said Violet. `Just don't answer....' Elinor spent more and more time in the time-out corner." The trouble peaks when the girls turn an adult's purse into "buried treasure" and must own up to their crime. In her debut as an author-illustrator, Murphy (Day Care Days) resolves the issue with generous forgiveness and maintains the girls' friendship. The potential for misbehavior remains; when the humbled Violet departs (with a promise to return next summer), Elinor affectionately clasps her friend's address and sleeps under a sign reading "Violet rules!" If the text shows a shrewd understanding of peer pressure, the pictures are not so sensitive. Violet, the disagreeable outsider, is an eggshell-brown chicken, in contrast to snowy-white Elinor and her matching family. Murphy slightly rectifies the color-coding with the appearance of Elinor's chestnut-hued aunt, yet racial implications could have been avoided altogether. More effective is the presentation of how minor misdeeds have harmful, or at least embarrassing, consequences. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) A common childhood situation is handled with a light touch in this humorous picture book. When slightly naughty Elinor (""sometimes, she sang bad words softly under her breath in the bathroom"") meets extremely naughty visiting Violet (""she sang bad words very loudly while walking down the street""), the result is a marriage of like minds-and escalating mischief. Elinor enjoys following Violet down the path of rebellious mayhem (`""You don't have to go when your mother calls you,' Violet said. `Just don't answer.' Elinor was impressed. She tried it"") until she finds her new all-naughty behavior about to spoil a long-anticipated outing with a favorite aunt. The lesson isn't leaned on too heavily, and, indeed, future mischief is presaged in the closing spread. Murphy's gouache paintings feature chickens more human than fowl, and fairly quiver with eye-smacking colors and contrasting patterns. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Hot and snazzy artwork carries this story of being more than just a little naughty. Elinor is a young chicken. She enjoys being a tad naughty, like writing on the wall (but in tiny letters), and talking back to her mother (but not out loud), and singing bad words (softly, under her breath). Then she meets Violet, on a visit to the neighborhood for a week; Violet enjoys being naughty without restraint. They get along like a house afire. They pull lots of practical jokes, then go so far as to hide Elinor's favorite aunt's purse, jeopardizing a special trip to the teahouse. Violet demands that Elinor pinkie-swear not to divulge the whereabouts of the purse, but Elinor spills the beans, admitting that they wanted it as buried treasure. When she apologizes, her aunt says, "Oh, Elinor, everyone's naughty sometimes," and goes on to tell the story of a low-down trick she and Elinor's mother did as young chickens. Murphy's is a sensible idea: Keep your naughtiness in perspective. Most everyone enjoys a joke, but few appreciate being tormented. (Picture book. 3-6)
Booklist Review
Ages 3^-6. Using two cleverly drawn chicks as her protagonists, Murphy takes on a common problem. Elinor is a young chicken who enjoys being naughty. When a new friend, Violet, comes to town for a visit, Elinor learns what naughty really is. Violet writes on walls with markers and sings songs with bad words, and soon Elinor is her partner in crime. It's when they take Aunt Lucy's purse that Elinor realizes she has gone too far. Many parents will be familiar with the problem of unwelcome companions, and they may be surprised at Elinor's mother's low-key response to the mischief. The point, however, is that Elinor comes to her own conclusions about acting badly--even though she can't wait for Violet's next visit. The gouache-on-watercolor illustrations have a prankish air that works wonderfully well with the text. Bright and shiny with interesting touches of patterns, these are pictures that the naughty and near naughty will find very recognizable. --Ilene Cooper