Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman, John Himmelman (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Meet the most heroic chickens in town! On Monday, Farmer Greenstalk dropped his watch down the well. . . .
On Tuesday, Mrs. Greenstalk was too tired to make dinner. . . .  Who will help the poor Greenstalk family? Chickens to the rescue! The amazing chickens on the Greenstalk farm race to help various family members and farm animals every day of the week. Every day until Sunday, that is, when Emily Greenstalk has a little trouble . . .  John Himmelman’s expressive illustrations are filled with the kind of hilarious details that will delight young readers.

Children's Literature

Out of the chicken coop rush a crowd of helpful hens, ready to do their rescue for each day of the week. On Monday, clad in diving gear, swim suits, etc. they retrieve Farmer Greenstalk's watch from the well. On Tuesday, they take over the kitchen to make dinner for his tired wife. When the dog eats young Jeffrey's book report due Wednesday, it's a flurry of researching and typing to save the day. Thursday, the runaway truck requires rescue; Friday it's the cow; Saturday the sheep. Each rescue is frantic, funny, and a little wild. So the chickens have earned their Sunday rest. The salivating pigs happily on their way to do the clean-up of Emily's spilled cereal add a final laugh. Himmelman uses black Prisma color pencil outlines and watercolors for his frenetic style with cartoon-y overtones. The scenes include just enough contextual details to set the stages for some comic misadventures not even hinted at in the brief text. Lots of fun.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-At the Greenstalk Farm, it's no problem if the sheep get lost, the farmer drops his watch down the well, the dog eats young Jeffrey's book report, the cow gets stuck in a tree, the duck steals the truck, or Mrs. Greenstalk is too tired to cook. It's "Chickens to the rescue!" Unless it's Sunday when they get some hard-earned rest and the pigs step in to help out. This rollicking story, made up of simple statements in a specific pattern, follows the fowls' heroics Monday through Sunday. The simplicity of the text allows the sheer brilliance of the colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations to shine through. The details in each rescue scene will have everyone laughing and noting the expressions of the animals, their crazy but appropriate outfits, and their amazing abilities. Pair this hilarious story with Doreen Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo (S & S, 2000) and David Shannon's Duck on a Bike (Scholastic, 2002) for a lively storytime about extraordinary farm animals.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

With hilarious, Keystone Kops-style urgency, chickens scurry, flop, leap, flap, peck and stumble to the rescue when Farmer Greenstalk drops his watch down the well, when Mrs. Greenstalk collapses in exhaustion into an easy chair just before dinnertime, when Ernie the duck tries to drive off in the pickup and more. Repeating the chorus of "CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE!" above spacious, full-spread rural scenes, Himmelman decks the frantic flock out in swimwear, chef's hats and other garb appropriate to each mishap, and leaves the beneficiaries of each foray appreciative-or at least bemused. After a week, though, enough is enough, so when daughter Emily Greenstalk semi-deliberately knocks her breakfast onto the floor, the chickens stay nestled out in the hen house-passing the torch to another set of quick-off-the-mark livestock. Further proof, as if it were needed, that chickens are funny. (Picture book. 5-7)

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