What do you think?
Rate this book
Chicken Wants a Nap
The sun is up, and a happy barnyard chicken is looking forward to a comfortable day—preferably one that includes a relaxing nap. However, every time she tries to find a good spot, something goes wrong. The sun disappears and is replaced by rain. She is driven out of the warm barn by obnoxious noises and smells. The dog is too curious for her to stay on the porch. Finally, the rain stops, and the worms come out. This is good news for the chicken—but bad news for the worms!
24 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2017
468 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 21, 2017
Sparse text, repeat phrases and ideas, all great for parents and little readers. The ending is unexpected and fun. A good choice for parents and teachers of pre-k--first graders and even older kids who will enjoy the humor and ending.
September 14, 2017
Chicken's day starts out great, then goes back and forth. Lots of fun and simple. Great for storytime!
November 17, 2023
Fantastic illustrations, fun story.
June 20, 2020
All Chicken wants is a nap...a simple, comfortable, quiet nap. Unfortunately for Chicken, today there is nothing simple, comfortable, or quiet about it. It's a good day for a nap EXCEPT when it rains, when the cows are loud, or when the barn is smelly. Marchini's delightfully sparse text bounces the reader back and forth between "It's a GOOD day to be chicken" and "It's a BAD day to be a chicken" as Chicken's hope for a nap rises and falls. Finally when it looks like Chicken won't be getting her nap, the unexpected happens and in a cute twist, it turns out to be a "good" day to be a chicken but a not-so-good day to be a...oops! Can't give away the ending! Félix's intense illustrations work well with Marchini's crisp narrative to offer a fun read-aloud story about nap time and all the challenges it represents.
September 15, 2017
Tracy Marchini strikes chicken bouillon gold with Chicken Wants a Nap! The simple text is adorable- I can hear the preschoolers squealing with delight as it's read aloud during story-time. The softly-colored illustrations are a perfect match for this most egg-cellent story, sure to be a winner with young flocks everywhere.
May 5, 2018
This little book is a hidden gem for storytime. The simple rhythm is a hit for preschool, and the illustrations are hilarious. One of my storytime kiddos acted like a chicken for the rest of the program, and he insisted on checking the book out to read again at home. I'd call that a hit!
Update: 48 hours later, kiddo is still a chicken. You have been warned.
Update: 48 hours later, kiddo is still a chicken. You have been warned.
July 8, 2021
“It’s a good day to be a chicken. The sun is up. The grass is warm. And chicken wants a nap.” This book is a joy to read aloud, and the final page makes my son laugh out loud every time. We first got it when he was 1 year old; he's now four and still goes back to this one on a regular basis (but now he reads it to himself!)
March 16, 2017
Chicken celebrates a beautiful day amongst the blooming flowers and peaceful surrounds. As the ground’s warmth touches her feet, she wants to nap, but is irritated when the rain starts to fall. Inside the nearby barn, she escapes the rain and feels the calm and quiet, but when she tries to sleep, the cows noisily wake her. On escaping to the porch of the farm house, she is pleased to find peace away from the smelly, noisy cows and the damp rain, but is unable to nap because the dog starts to bark. As the rain stops, the chicken feasts on the worms which surface in the grass, making it a good day after all.
Bravo! Tracy Marchini’s delightful and charming tale of a chicken, who wants nothing more than to nap during the rain, is not only fun to read, but is also wonderfully illustrated throughout. See-sawing between how wonderful and how terrible it is to be a chicken, the story demonstrates the wants and needs of a tired chicken on a farm, only to be disrupted each time she thinks she has found the perfect spot. The same happens with humans, but usually our heavy eyelids win the tug-of-war and we fall asleep. I found Chicken Wants a Nap to be highly imaginative, if not quite realistic, having grown up on a farm myself. The illustrations capture the emotional aspect, with excitement on the chicken’s face when she feels she has found the perfect spot, and disappointment/annoyance when she is disturbed. I thoroughly enjoyed Chicken Wants a Nap and recommend it to all children, from 3-8 years, whether on a farm or in the city, as it shows the highs and lows in an animal’s life on a farm.
- Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite
Bravo! Tracy Marchini’s delightful and charming tale of a chicken, who wants nothing more than to nap during the rain, is not only fun to read, but is also wonderfully illustrated throughout. See-sawing between how wonderful and how terrible it is to be a chicken, the story demonstrates the wants and needs of a tired chicken on a farm, only to be disrupted each time she thinks she has found the perfect spot. The same happens with humans, but usually our heavy eyelids win the tug-of-war and we fall asleep. I found Chicken Wants a Nap to be highly imaginative, if not quite realistic, having grown up on a farm myself. The illustrations capture the emotional aspect, with excitement on the chicken’s face when she feels she has found the perfect spot, and disappointment/annoyance when she is disturbed. I thoroughly enjoyed Chicken Wants a Nap and recommend it to all children, from 3-8 years, whether on a farm or in the city, as it shows the highs and lows in an animal’s life on a farm.
- Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite
June 25, 2018
The grass is warm and the flowers are blooming. It's a good day to be a chicken and a good day for a chicken to take a little nap. But as the page turns the reader sees that it's now raining, and with wet feathers, there's no way the chicken can nap.
Sigh! The barn is quiet and a perfect place for a nap, so it's still a good day to be a chicken. MOO! Oops. It's now a bad day since cows are waaay toooo loud for a chicken to sleep. And come to think about it, the barn is too smelly to nap. Ugh!
Okay, the chicken is now headed toward the covered porch. It will be dry and surely a great place to catch a few winks. But will this positive thinking chicken ever catch a break?
My Concerns: Though the ending is surprising and cute, I'm not sure I'm a total fan of it. (But neither do I dislike it.)
What I Liked Most: This is a very creative story told with very few words. I think the younger picture book age will thoroughly enjoy watching this chicken search for a quiet napping spot.
Sigh! The barn is quiet and a perfect place for a nap, so it's still a good day to be a chicken. MOO! Oops. It's now a bad day since cows are waaay toooo loud for a chicken to sleep. And come to think about it, the barn is too smelly to nap. Ugh!
Okay, the chicken is now headed toward the covered porch. It will be dry and surely a great place to catch a few winks. But will this positive thinking chicken ever catch a break?
My Concerns: Though the ending is surprising and cute, I'm not sure I'm a total fan of it. (But neither do I dislike it.)
What I Liked Most: This is a very creative story told with very few words. I think the younger picture book age will thoroughly enjoy watching this chicken search for a quiet napping spot.
June 20, 2020
Have you ever wondered when it’s good to be a chicken?
In this adorable picture book, written in short, carefully-crafted sentences, chicken will tell you when it’s good and bad to be a chicken. For example, it’s good to be a chicken when the sun is shining, the grass is warm, and chicken can take a nap. It’s bad to be a chicken when it’s raining, her feathers are wet, and chicken cannot nap. The book goes back and forth between good and bad, and of course ends on a good note for chicken but a not-so-good note for worm. The twist at the end is a delightful surprise. Highly recommended.
In this adorable picture book, written in short, carefully-crafted sentences, chicken will tell you when it’s good and bad to be a chicken. For example, it’s good to be a chicken when the sun is shining, the grass is warm, and chicken can take a nap. It’s bad to be a chicken when it’s raining, her feathers are wet, and chicken cannot nap. The book goes back and forth between good and bad, and of course ends on a good note for chicken but a not-so-good note for worm. The twist at the end is a delightful surprise. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2021
Let me start off by saying I LOVE the art in this book. I love oil and chalk pastels and I loved the way the artist drew all the illustrations in this book. The story was enjoyable and I loved the ending! It made me laugh, but also thought, "Aw, poor worm.". The only thing I didn't like about this book was how repeated the phrase was something about the chicken having a bad day for a nap or something. I thought those parts could have been written better. It didn't flow as well as the rest of the book.
February 20, 2018
For those of you who love naps, yet are constantly interrupted in your plan to get one, this book will strike a familiar nerve. Poor chicken just wants a nap, yet every place he tries, someone foils him.
Lots of movement in the illustrations, and I liken the style to Edouard Manet's version of impressionism - not the hazy Monet style, but definitive shapes yet softened.
Chicken finally gets his nap, and the last page ends the story with a humorous note. Great for Storytime.
Lots of movement in the illustrations, and I liken the style to Edouard Manet's version of impressionism - not the hazy Monet style, but definitive shapes yet softened.
Chicken finally gets his nap, and the last page ends the story with a humorous note. Great for Storytime.
July 25, 2020
An adorable book! Follows the ups and downs of chicken’s quest to take a nap, and really connects with a kid’s all-or-nothing outlook on life - “it’s a good day to be a chicken,” until “it’s a bad day to be a chicken.” The repetition is so fun, and the illustrations perfectly foreshadow what’s coming next, letting the child reader pick out what they think is going to happen. Not to mention, the chicken’s expressions are priceless! A real winner. Great book!
November 21, 2021
This is a fun read-a-loud with great illustrations. With a playful personality, the chicken will tell you when it’s good and when it's bad to be a chicken. It’s good to be a chicken when the sun is warm and shining, and really good when a chicken can nap. It’s bad to be a chicken when it’s cold and raining, and chicken cannot nap. The book goes back and forth between good and bad, and ends in a delightful surprise.
May 14, 2019
On a rainy day, all chicken wants is a nice warm place to take a nap. Text alternates between chicken having a good day (finds a place to nap) to having a bad day (animals cause her to find someplace else to nap). She finally gets a nap after the rain and after she eats her fill of worms... it's a bad day for worms.
June 20, 2020
All chicken wants is a nap! This adorable story with sparse text, colorful illustrations, and a pattern with delightful repetitions, is a great read-aloud for your little ones. The unexpected ending makes the story even more appealing. I highly recommend this charming tale, written by the very talented Tracy Marchini!
January 18, 2022
The chicken wants something simple. A nap. Just a nap! But, every time she finds the perfect spot, something goes wrong. A series of search and hope and disappointment until finally Zzzzz... Simple, relatable emotional ups and downs that kids can relate to and a fun read aloud with vivid illustrations. A great bedtime story!
September 21, 2022
Fantastic chicken art!
Love a good tale about a chicken to share with children!
Good discussion book for circle time as well. Can discuss with children why chicken was bothered by certain things like sounds and dogs and how they would feel if they were trying to nap as well. What would they do if they had a day as a chicken! Cute story and open ended for discussion and activities.
Love a good tale about a chicken to share with children!
Good discussion book for circle time as well. Can discuss with children why chicken was bothered by certain things like sounds and dogs and how they would feel if they were trying to nap as well. What would they do if they had a day as a chicken! Cute story and open ended for discussion and activities.
November 9, 2017
This is a very quick read, good for short story times.
This text would work well for toddlers and preschoolers, but even young elementary students may enjoy the humor.
The illustrations are more on the complex side.
Kids enjoyed it. They voted to give it 5 stars.
This text would work well for toddlers and preschoolers, but even young elementary students may enjoy the humor.
The illustrations are more on the complex side.
Kids enjoyed it. They voted to give it 5 stars.
June 21, 2020
Poor chicken just wants to take a nap, but everything that can go wrong goes wrong! This is a hilarious, relatable, and brilliant read-aloud with a fun twist at the end. I highly recommend this one as it is sure to leave young children saying the same thing my kids did - "again!"
June 28, 2020
Such a fun little story! Poor tired chicken just wants to have a nap. But every time she thinks she's found the perfect spot, something--or someone!--foils her plans. Readers will root for chicken to catch a break. Finally, in a twist ending, she does!
April 20, 2021
One of my kid's favorites and also one of the first books she wanted to read on her own. Humor, a fun storyline, great illustrations, and a chance to make silly farm animal noises, all make this book a great one for repeat reads. Highly recommend!
January 16, 2022
This is an adorable book about a lovable hen. With its simple text, and repeating refrains, it makes a perfect book for kids learning to read as well as being read to by an adult. The illustrations are lush and lovely and complements the sweet story.
August 9, 2017
As someone who loves naps, I really respect this book. Not a MUST have, but really beautiful illustrations and a solid addition to a library collection.
September 2, 2017
Beautifully illustration good/bad story of a chicken on the farm who wants a nap but can't find the perfect spot.
September 15, 2017
The BEST thing I've read in awhile! SO good. Can't wait to read this in storytime .
September 16, 2017
This book is beautifully illustrated. My almost two year old LOVE it. It is a cute book and one that she asked to "read again". Highly recommend this book.
September 19, 2017
Super super cute!!!
September 25, 2017
It was a good day, it was a bad day. With good pacing, large expressive art, and subtle humor, this is perfect for a story time read.
October 12, 2017
Simple short text with repetitive phrases. I used some puppets with the story and my Twinkle Babies were loving it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews