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Chicken Squad #1
The First Misadventure
They're darling. They're daring. They know their shapes! They're chicks on a mission, and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad launches a galactic backyard expedition.
Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they're too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime.
So when Squirrel comes barreling into the chicken coop, the chicks know they're about to get a case. But with his poor knowledge of shapes ("Big" is not a shape, Squirrel!) and utter fear of whatever it is that's out there, the panicky Squirrel is NO HELP. Good thing these chicks are professionals.
But even professionals get worried. Especially once they see that round, shiny, green, BIG thing in the yard. What if it's a UFO full of aliens who want chickens as pets? It's up to the Chicken Squad to crack a case that just might be out of this world.
Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they're too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime.
So when Squirrel comes barreling into the chicken coop, the chicks know they're about to get a case. But with his poor knowledge of shapes ("Big" is not a shape, Squirrel!) and utter fear of whatever it is that's out there, the panicky Squirrel is NO HELP. Good thing these chicks are professionals.
But even professionals get worried. Especially once they see that round, shiny, green, BIG thing in the yard. What if it's a UFO full of aliens who want chickens as pets? It's up to the Chicken Squad to crack a case that just might be out of this world.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2014
133 people are currently reading
1577 people want to read
About the author
Doreen Cronin
122 books444 followersDoreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
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September 17, 2021This hilarious early chapter book had my youngest kiddo giggling throughout. He enjoyed the word play, general silliness, and great illustrations. We couldn't wait to get into the next in the series.
Readers may also enjoy " Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger, Frankie Pickle by Eric Wright, Kung Pow Chicken by Cyndi Marko, Haggis and Tank: All Paws on Deck by Jessica Young, or The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey.
How wonderful that there are so many great early chapter books series that are fast, fun, and funny to choose from. -Alexis S.
Readers may also enjoy " Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger, Frankie Pickle by Eric Wright, Kung Pow Chicken by Cyndi Marko, Haggis and Tank: All Paws on Deck by Jessica Young, or The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey.
How wonderful that there are so many great early chapter books series that are fast, fun, and funny to choose from. -Alexis S.
August 28, 2014
A list of things I don't understand:
1. Why do the chickens have two names? This did nothing but confuse me.
2. Naming one chicken Sugar and another Sweetie doesn't help me keep them straight. To be honest, I had a hard time identifying the chickens throughout the entire book.
3. Why are the chickens attributed a "specialty" if it doesn't tie in with the plot? I get that this is going to be a series, but introducing a specialty without giving it a place in the story just feels like bad expository writing.
4. What is the shoe all about. Again, I don't get it.
5. Why are the chickens so rude to the squirrel? They seem a little too bratty for my taste.
The mystery is good.. but the above issues make me feel this is a less than sterling transitional read. That isn't to say kids won't enjoy it. Snark seems to be the order of the day and this book is packed with it.
1. Why do the chickens have two names? This did nothing but confuse me.
2. Naming one chicken Sugar and another Sweetie doesn't help me keep them straight. To be honest, I had a hard time identifying the chickens throughout the entire book.
3. Why are the chickens attributed a "specialty" if it doesn't tie in with the plot? I get that this is going to be a series, but introducing a specialty without giving it a place in the story just feels like bad expository writing.
4. What is the shoe all about. Again, I don't get it.
5. Why are the chickens so rude to the squirrel? They seem a little too bratty for my taste.
The mystery is good.. but the above issues make me feel this is a less than sterling transitional read. That isn't to say kids won't enjoy it. Snark seems to be the order of the day and this book is packed with it.
June 4, 2017
Reminiscent of Hank the Cowdog and other famous farm/ranch heroes, the chicken squad is serious about their duties in the yard. When the squirrel comes to them for protection, they deliver. So much fun to see these little chicks do what they think is necessary to make things right. Looking forward to more adventures with Poppy, Sugar, Dirt and Sweetie!
July 19, 2021
Read this with jake and we laughed! Fun story!
October 15, 2021
JJ is the retired dog that looks after the hen house. When an anxious squirrel named Tail pays the inquisitive chicks a visit at the base of operation, he can't communicate what the problem is...
After multiple fainting spells, the chicks arm themselves against strange shapes and maybe aliens to rescue their mom from UFO invasion!
Full of humor, heart and illustrations, a perfect example of the inquisitiveness and imaginative minds of children, provided here by a quartet of peeps, is a fun and humorous adventure for those who are fans of Dav Pilkey, Lincoln Peirce and especially fans of the Bad Guys chapter books.
After multiple fainting spells, the chicks arm themselves against strange shapes and maybe aliens to rescue their mom from UFO invasion!
Full of humor, heart and illustrations, a perfect example of the inquisitiveness and imaginative minds of children, provided here by a quartet of peeps, is a fun and humorous adventure for those who are fans of Dav Pilkey, Lincoln Peirce and especially fans of the Bad Guys chapter books.
June 6, 2021
Easy and funny chapter book for beginning readers. This book is also great to read out loud and the chickens are hilarious!
February 28, 2024
This is such a fun beginner’s chapter book. Very funny and lovable characters, similar to what you might find in Nick Bruel’s bad kitty or Aaron Blabey’s Bad Guys book series. Engaging and funny for my daughter. We will continue to read through the series!
April 27, 2021
April 2021 - Read aloud to S and D.
November 2015 - Read aloud to T.
These chicks are something! Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy and Sugar love to solve mysteries. This time is not the exception. When Tail, the squirrel, comes asking for help, he knows he is in the right place. Unfortunately he is not really good at providing clues about what he saw. Big and scary? Not really helpful. Enormous and frightening? Still useless... This lack of progress would have discouraged anyone, but not the chicken squad.
We loved this book. We loved it because the story is hilarious. We loved it because the characters are funny and adorable. I personally loved it because I totally related to J. J. Tully, the dog, who has the hard work of keeping an eye on these active, unpredictable chicks!
Age range: 6 to 10 years old. (My 6 years old son enjoyed this story that was read aloud to him. He didn't read it by himself)
Check out more children's book reviews in my Reviews in Chalk Blog!
November 2015 - Read aloud to T.
These chicks are something! Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy and Sugar love to solve mysteries. This time is not the exception. When Tail, the squirrel, comes asking for help, he knows he is in the right place. Unfortunately he is not really good at providing clues about what he saw. Big and scary? Not really helpful. Enormous and frightening? Still useless... This lack of progress would have discouraged anyone, but not the chicken squad.
We loved this book. We loved it because the story is hilarious. We loved it because the characters are funny and adorable. I personally loved it because I totally related to J. J. Tully, the dog, who has the hard work of keeping an eye on these active, unpredictable chicks!
Age range: 6 to 10 years old. (My 6 years old son enjoyed this story that was read aloud to him. He didn't read it by himself)
Check out more children's book reviews in my Reviews in Chalk Blog!
July 15, 2019
First sentence: Welcome to the yard! Meet the Chicken Squad: Four fuzzy little chicks who should fill their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs but instead spend most of their time looking for trouble and finding it.
Premise/plot: Dirt (Peep), Sugar (Little Boo), Poppy (Poppy), and Sweetie (Sweet Coconut Louise) ARE the chicken squad. In this first adventure--or misadventure--the chicks are hard on a case. A squirrel has come to them for help. He's absolutely terrified of something...but of what?!?! Can these four chicks educate a squirrel in the process of helping him overcome his fear(s)?
My thoughts: This was a quick read. I wanted to love, love, love it because HELLO, they are chickens. But so far it's more of a LIKE for me. So far I'm having a hard time making distinctions between Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie in terms of personality and character.
Premise/plot: Dirt (Peep), Sugar (Little Boo), Poppy (Poppy), and Sweetie (Sweet Coconut Louise) ARE the chicken squad. In this first adventure--or misadventure--the chicks are hard on a case. A squirrel has come to them for help. He's absolutely terrified of something...but of what?!?! Can these four chicks educate a squirrel in the process of helping him overcome his fear(s)?
My thoughts: This was a quick read. I wanted to love, love, love it because HELLO, they are chickens. But so far it's more of a LIKE for me. So far I'm having a hard time making distinctions between Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie in terms of personality and character.
July 15, 2019
This is a cute, silly book about a group of chickens who discover a strange green object in their backyard. My students think it's hilarious!
May 15, 2021
Four fuzzy chicks and a retired search-and-rescue dog, JJ, live together in a yard. JJ’s job is to keep the four little guys out of trouble, which comes their way as a scared-out-of-his-mind squirrel, Tail, comes asking for their help. There’s something big and scary in the yard! What is it?
I found this book comedic as the chicks and the squirrel just get into hilarious conversations and conclusions throughout this misadventure. There’s examples of vocabulary with synonyms as squirrel is adept with his synonyms to describe the mystery scary thing, but not shape words. It’s a fun read as you get the feel that JJ and the chicks talk like a cop and detectives would, adding to the mystery-to-solve feel of the book. The font is larger and with illustrations that would be good for beginner readers.
I found this book comedic as the chicks and the squirrel just get into hilarious conversations and conclusions throughout this misadventure. There’s examples of vocabulary with synonyms as squirrel is adept with his synonyms to describe the mystery scary thing, but not shape words. It’s a fun read as you get the feel that JJ and the chicks talk like a cop and detectives would, adding to the mystery-to-solve feel of the book. The font is larger and with illustrations that would be good for beginner readers.
November 20, 2013
*ARC
Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin
This is such a fun book. I am glad the humor is still there in a book for older readers. I love the fancy words, the mystery, and the way the chicken squad works together. They talk and act just like a group of third graders. My favorite character has to be the dog, but they are so likable. Don’t expect a great piece of literature out of this book, but it is a fun story; kids will love it, and will bug their parents for more. Really, is there anymore you could ask for with a beginning reader early chapter book. I am so happy to see this genre finally having a plot and great characters.
Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin
This is such a fun book. I am glad the humor is still there in a book for older readers. I love the fancy words, the mystery, and the way the chicken squad works together. They talk and act just like a group of third graders. My favorite character has to be the dog, but they are so likable. Don’t expect a great piece of literature out of this book, but it is a fun story; kids will love it, and will bug their parents for more. Really, is there anymore you could ask for with a beginning reader early chapter book. I am so happy to see this genre finally having a plot and great characters.
May 21, 2014
Chicken Squad are on their first case, when Squirrel comes to the chicken coop with some serious panic. And the Squirrel doesn't know the shapes well, so the Chicken Squad has even more difficulties, guessing the actual problem. But, they are still brave and start working together.
I loved the cover..it will definitely attract the little ones. Although it's not an interesting thriller, it will be good if this is read aloud in children's book clubs. It is educational and the kids will like the mystery part.
Recommended!
I loved the cover..it will definitely attract the little ones. Although it's not an interesting thriller, it will be good if this is read aloud in children's book clubs. It is educational and the kids will like the mystery part.
Recommended!
September 19, 2017
We were given this book through a reading event at my daughter's school. At that time, my daughter would best be described as a "reluctant reader". This book changed that. We read it every night, gave the chickens different voices, and just enjoyed how silly the story was. It's been a few years and she is now a voracious reader, but she still loves this adorable book. It was responsible for her learning to love reading. Highly recommend.
August 16, 2016
This was really cute. I love that the chicks all have their own personalities and that they are all quite hilarious. It's adorable that J.J. the dog is tasked with keeping them in line, and yet he lets them believe in their UFO mystery. A fun story for young readers.
April 9, 2014
The chicks from the J.J. Tully mysteries get their own story in this adorable early chapter book spin-off. J.J. Tully makes an appearance as well.
October 2, 2014
Read for Librarian Book Group
Amusing beginning reader.
Amusing beginning reader.
December 30, 2015
Great fun to read aloud with my six year old mystery-loving granddaughter. We laughed our way through it!
June 9, 2016
Very funny! Excellent early chapter book!
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September 30, 2016this book is so funny and it is a really good book
July 4, 2017
It's a good thing JJ is always around to keep an eye on the Chicken Squad because if he wasn't who knows what kind of trouble they'd get into! This was a cute funny spinoff of the JJ books.
October 4, 2018
Read for my 9 year old's Battle of the Books. It was a quick read with lots of quirky chicken characters.
March 23, 2021
This is such a cute and funny book. It was interesting to read!
July 12, 2022
This is a great book! Lots of funny parts! My daughter loved it too!
January 17, 2021
Dirt, Sugar, Sweetie, and Poppy are the baby chicks who are the detective sleuths in this book. Even their names are funny.
But to find out what was “big, and scary” in the story was a little bit of a let down. 😂
I’d give this book 3.5 stars. There were some parts that I laughed audibly as I read to my kids— also, the illustrations were good.
My 4 year old daughter listened very attentively to the story though and comprehended much of it.
~A good chapter book for young kids because of all the pictures and the short chapters.~
But to find out what was “big, and scary” in the story was a little bit of a let down. 😂
I’d give this book 3.5 stars. There were some parts that I laughed audibly as I read to my kids— also, the illustrations were good.
My 4 year old daughter listened very attentively to the story though and comprehended much of it.
~A good chapter book for young kids because of all the pictures and the short chapters.~
August 21, 2019
The book starts with an introduction by a dog J. J. Tully who gives us an introduction to all the chickens in the squad. The only issue here is that he gives both a real name and an alias for each of the four chickens. It is a lot of names to get in the first five pages and it is hard to tell what you should pay attention to, however since they use the alias for the rest of the book that is what I will focus on.
There is Dirt whose specialty is foreign languages, math, colors, and computer codes; Sugar whose specialty is listed as breaking and entering and interrupting; Poppy whose specialty is watching the shoe (while the shoe is definitely part of the story they never really explain its importance - maybe that is a gag); and there is Sweetie who has no talents as far as J.J. knows.
J.J. then ends the introduction saying he is going to take a nap and asking if we can watch out for the chicken squad for a while.
The story starts with Tail the Squirrel rushing into the hen house yelling about something "Big and Scary" when Sugar asks for more details all he can give her our synonyms "Enormous and Frightening" and "Huge and Terrifying" Tail assures the chickens that he is a brave squirrel but as Sugar asks more questions it is clear he is frightened of a lot of things. When they chickens go to get J.J. to help Tail faints from fear.
Meanwhile the chicken's mother Moosh has also entered the chicken coop and asks about the dead squirrel. The chicken's assure her it is not dead, it just fainted and she can tell because it doesn't smell bad. When she sniffs to be sure she realizes that Poppy smells like dirty feet (due to his time in the shoe) so he takes him to be washed.
Sugar gets Dirt to identify Tail's color since he is passed out. "It's a cross between timber wolf gray and manatee gray. It's definitely not regular gray. More like I-think-I-may-pass-out-again gray." Tail wakes up and Dirt tries to get Tail to identify the shape of the "Big and Scary" menace. He starts with a rhombus. Sugar gives him a hard time for starting with such a hard shape, but Tail assures them he is a brave squirrel and he is not afraid of a diamond. They go through a couple more shapes. When they get to a circle Tail passes out again. Sugar writes in his notes "Nervous squirrel with good vocabulary and poor shape skills is terrified of something round in the yard. Also, Dirt discovers a new shade of gray."
Moosh returns and says she will turn the "dead" squirrel into a rug if he is still here when she gets back she heads out to the yard. Tail wakes and assures the chickens he is a brave squirrel and describes the "big and scary" item with a lot more detail. It was green, round, it stopped approximately 4 feet off the ground and made weird hissing and popping noises. Sugar jokes "That's quite an improvement over 'big and scary' you ought to bump your head more often, kid."
The chickens decide that it is obviously a UFO. Tail at first is scared that it has come to take them, but Sugar argues that he is not valuable enough to be taken. Barbara, their owner, takes care of the chickens she doesn't take care of Tail. So they decide the UFO must be here for them, which gets them worried because their mother is out in the lawn and might be taken. They develop a plan. They get grass clippings to use as camouflage. The get rocks for weapons and they grab a orange balloon and helium gas tank to inflate to signal when they find the UFO. Tail asks why they don't inflate the balloon in the hen house rather than have to carry the heavy tank around but Sugar says that to carry the orange balloon around would make them a target.
The all head out to attack the UFO. Dirt criticizes Tail's description of the color of the UFO saying that it is "clearly asparagus green don't you own a box of crayons?" There is a sweet moment between Dirt and Tail. Tail is get more and more scared and Dirt tells him to repeat "I am a brave squirrel" which is what Tail has been saying when he hasn't been freaking out or passed out. The gang begins to attack the "UFO" by throwing rocks at it.
Spoiler - J.J. lets us know that they are not actually attacking a UFO they are attacking Barbara's new barbecue. She comes out, yelling at the squirrel and soaking him with the hose. J.J. grabs the rest of the gang in the shoe and races back to the hen house. In the process they get some of the hot dogs that were on the grill. Moosh returns to the hen house. The chickens give her a big hug. She asks if Tail is the dead squirrel and Tail says no he is a brave squirrel and Sugar agrees.
Ends with a little epilogue by J.J. where he says that yes the chickens should have know it was a barbecue but the chickens are always looking for adventure and after all it meant that Tail learned his shapes - everyone wins.
Some final crayon drawings of our heroes. And then a preview for the next book about a blue bird who has entered the chicken coup without wiping his feet who the chickens call a blue chicken.
Overall a cute story a cute send up of the spy thriller story. The only small nit I have that may get resolved in future stories is that all our main characters are not very fleshed out. While Dirt and Sugar's personality came through it was harder to really see the other two chickens as having much personality.
Miles
There is Dirt whose specialty is foreign languages, math, colors, and computer codes; Sugar whose specialty is listed as breaking and entering and interrupting; Poppy whose specialty is watching the shoe (while the shoe is definitely part of the story they never really explain its importance - maybe that is a gag); and there is Sweetie who has no talents as far as J.J. knows.
J.J. then ends the introduction saying he is going to take a nap and asking if we can watch out for the chicken squad for a while.
The story starts with Tail the Squirrel rushing into the hen house yelling about something "Big and Scary" when Sugar asks for more details all he can give her our synonyms "Enormous and Frightening" and "Huge and Terrifying" Tail assures the chickens that he is a brave squirrel but as Sugar asks more questions it is clear he is frightened of a lot of things. When they chickens go to get J.J. to help Tail faints from fear.
Meanwhile the chicken's mother Moosh has also entered the chicken coop and asks about the dead squirrel. The chicken's assure her it is not dead, it just fainted and she can tell because it doesn't smell bad. When she sniffs to be sure she realizes that Poppy smells like dirty feet (due to his time in the shoe) so he takes him to be washed.
Sugar gets Dirt to identify Tail's color since he is passed out. "It's a cross between timber wolf gray and manatee gray. It's definitely not regular gray. More like I-think-I-may-pass-out-again gray." Tail wakes up and Dirt tries to get Tail to identify the shape of the "Big and Scary" menace. He starts with a rhombus. Sugar gives him a hard time for starting with such a hard shape, but Tail assures them he is a brave squirrel and he is not afraid of a diamond. They go through a couple more shapes. When they get to a circle Tail passes out again. Sugar writes in his notes "Nervous squirrel with good vocabulary and poor shape skills is terrified of something round in the yard. Also, Dirt discovers a new shade of gray."
Moosh returns and says she will turn the "dead" squirrel into a rug if he is still here when she gets back she heads out to the yard. Tail wakes and assures the chickens he is a brave squirrel and describes the "big and scary" item with a lot more detail. It was green, round, it stopped approximately 4 feet off the ground and made weird hissing and popping noises. Sugar jokes "That's quite an improvement over 'big and scary' you ought to bump your head more often, kid."
The chickens decide that it is obviously a UFO. Tail at first is scared that it has come to take them, but Sugar argues that he is not valuable enough to be taken. Barbara, their owner, takes care of the chickens she doesn't take care of Tail. So they decide the UFO must be here for them, which gets them worried because their mother is out in the lawn and might be taken. They develop a plan. They get grass clippings to use as camouflage. The get rocks for weapons and they grab a orange balloon and helium gas tank to inflate to signal when they find the UFO. Tail asks why they don't inflate the balloon in the hen house rather than have to carry the heavy tank around but Sugar says that to carry the orange balloon around would make them a target.
The all head out to attack the UFO. Dirt criticizes Tail's description of the color of the UFO saying that it is "clearly asparagus green don't you own a box of crayons?" There is a sweet moment between Dirt and Tail. Tail is get more and more scared and Dirt tells him to repeat "I am a brave squirrel" which is what Tail has been saying when he hasn't been freaking out or passed out. The gang begins to attack the "UFO" by throwing rocks at it.
Spoiler - J.J. lets us know that they are not actually attacking a UFO they are attacking Barbara's new barbecue. She comes out, yelling at the squirrel and soaking him with the hose. J.J. grabs the rest of the gang in the shoe and races back to the hen house. In the process they get some of the hot dogs that were on the grill. Moosh returns to the hen house. The chickens give her a big hug. She asks if Tail is the dead squirrel and Tail says no he is a brave squirrel and Sugar agrees.
Ends with a little epilogue by J.J. where he says that yes the chickens should have know it was a barbecue but the chickens are always looking for adventure and after all it meant that Tail learned his shapes - everyone wins.
Some final crayon drawings of our heroes. And then a preview for the next book about a blue bird who has entered the chicken coup without wiping his feet who the chickens call a blue chicken.
Overall a cute story a cute send up of the spy thriller story. The only small nit I have that may get resolved in future stories is that all our main characters are not very fleshed out. While Dirt and Sugar's personality came through it was harder to really see the other two chickens as having much personality.
Miles
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2022
Cute, super silly story about 4 mischievous chicks, a brave, scaredy squirrel, and a guard dog! I read this book outloud with my 6 year old (although he has read others in the series by himself), and we both really enjoyed it. It is easy reading with lots of pictures to keep kids engaged, with a lot of humor that also kept me engaged. :)
February 18, 2024
I have never seen a grill that looks like a space ship. But that happens in this book. The chickens think it is a space ship and it was very funny. One of the chickens said to the squirrel, "you're just afraid of everything in the yard."
December 11, 2019
Funny with an almost noir/detective style but it’s hapless chickens.
December 20, 2022
This book is perfect for children
Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews