What do you think?
Rate this book
To the Rescue!
Chickens to the Rescue
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. . . .
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.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2006
11 people are currently reading
1289 people want to read
About the author
John Himmelman
134 books45 followersJohn Himmelman is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including Chickens to the Rescue. He lives in Connecticut with his family.
According John's Facebook page, he has been "making up stories and scribbling pictures since I could hold a crayon in my hand. It became my job in 1981, when my first book, "Talester the Lizard" was published during my last year in college (School of Visual Arts)....It behooves a writer to try and turn what interests them into their work. I've been fortunate to do that with my love of nature, with books - for adults and children - focusing on different natural history topics."
According John's Facebook page, he has been "making up stories and scribbling pictures since I could hold a crayon in my hand. It became my job in 1981, when my first book, "Talester the Lizard" was published during my last year in college (School of Visual Arts)....It behooves a writer to try and turn what interests them into their work. I've been fortunate to do that with my love of nature, with books - for adults and children - focusing on different natural history topics."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
February 10, 2015
From my blog, where it is considerably easier to post pictures:
https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/...
How can you not be enchanted by these chickens?
The Greenstalks seem to be having a rash of trouble this week. First, a watch down the well
then a lack of dinner
followed by a missing book report,
Ernie the duck going joyriding,
Milky the cow stuck in the tree,
lost sheep,
and a spilled breakfast.
Thankfully, the chickens are there to save the day!
Minimal text, silly humor, clever illustrations reminiscent of Waldo and Steven Kellogg made this one a delight.
Plus, chickens!
March 19, 2013
Whereas Himmelman's Katie Loves the Kittens was perfectly realistic, these super chickens are ridiculous and silly. But in an awesome way!
Warning: may cause uncontrollable urge to repeatedly shout "CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE!"
Or maybe that's just me.
Warning: may cause uncontrollable urge to repeatedly shout "CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE!"
Or maybe that's just me.
February 16, 2013
I had to take a second look at this book and put aside my "adult-ness." For some reason, this book didn't click with me at first. After the second reading, I could see a bit more humor in it. I just hadn't take the time to study the illustrations. Gosh!
So, Farmer Greenstalk drops his watch into the well on Monday. The chickens RUSH onto the scene, dressed (some of them) in bathing suits--one and two-piece!--swim fins, masks, bathing caps, wet suit, bishing pole...Pretty funny, okay, I get it! :-) "Those are some chickens!" said Farmer Greenstalk, as the chickens walk off the page, dripping.
When the dog eats Jeffrey's homework on Wednesday, chickens take over again. My favorite scene here is the chicken who is giving the dog (who is hiding under the bed) the stink-eye for being naughty.
I think K-2 will really like this book. I can hear them all chorusing "Chickens to the rescue!" I will probably read this using the document camera so that everyone can see the detail of the illustrations.
So, Farmer Greenstalk drops his watch into the well on Monday. The chickens RUSH onto the scene, dressed (some of them) in bathing suits--one and two-piece!--swim fins, masks, bathing caps, wet suit, bishing pole...Pretty funny, okay, I get it! :-) "Those are some chickens!" said Farmer Greenstalk, as the chickens walk off the page, dripping.
When the dog eats Jeffrey's homework on Wednesday, chickens take over again. My favorite scene here is the chicken who is giving the dog (who is hiding under the bed) the stink-eye for being naughty.
I think K-2 will really like this book. I can hear them all chorusing "Chickens to the rescue!" I will probably read this using the document camera so that everyone can see the detail of the illustrations.
Read
April 27, 2010In this book, Farmer Greenstalk is faced with a dilemma; his watch falls down the well! Who is there to help Farmer Greenstalk? The chickens of course! Farmer Greenstalks wife was too tired to make dinner, who solves this issue? The chickens! Throughout this story, there are problems when the doge eats homework, a cow blowing into a tree, and sheep wandering off the farm. The chickens were always there to assist in any way to patch up and repair the troubles! When Emily Greenstalk spills her breakfast, she waits for the chickens to come to her rescue, but the chickens do not answer. The Greenstalks find the chickens fast asleep in their chicken coop after a long hard day of work!
October 8, 2014
Very fun, with great promise in a preschool storytime. They can join in on the "Chickens to the Rescue" chorus, and enjoy the twist at the end. Fun details in the illustrations (even the characters' expressions!) that a big group might miss. But they'll still enjoy it.
1/9/13 & 1/10/13 Good choice. The kids in both groups liked it. They didn't really join in much with me, which I thought they would. Oh well. As long as they liked it!
10/8/14 Opener for chicken theme. My new kids aren't very expressive, but they pay attention. And this was one of the ones that was taken to be checked out after. So they must have liked it. The adults did.
1/9/13 & 1/10/13 Good choice. The kids in both groups liked it. They didn't really join in much with me, which I thought they would. Oh well. As long as they liked it!
10/8/14 Opener for chicken theme. My new kids aren't very expressive, but they pay attention. And this was one of the ones that was taken to be checked out after. So they must have liked it. The adults did.
May 10, 2010
I LOVE the illustrations in this book. The chickens are wearing swimsuits and scuba gear when they recover the farmer's watch from the well. Their expressions are priceless as they prevent duck from making a get away in the farmer's truck. The chickens are hilarious as they save the day over and over again.
Could use for reading comprehension strategies predictions & inferences.
Could use for reading comprehension strategies predictions & inferences.
July 7, 2015
Those are some chickens.
September 1, 2019
Simple sentences, fun illustrations. Children have fun yelling 'chickens to the rescue' every couple pages.
May 10, 2022
Reading age
2 - 6 years
2 - 6 years
March 30, 2019
Reinforces days of the week. Cute book.
April 29, 2014
Booklist (November 1, 2006 (Vol. 103, No. 5))
OK, it's a one-joke book, but in Himmelman's presentation, the joke gets funnier each time you turn the page. On Monday, Farmer Greenstalk drops his watch down the well . . . "Chickens to the rescue!"The two-page spread features a flock in a flurry. They're wearing bathing caps, or flippers, or goggles. They're flying into each other and diving down in the well. "Those are some chickens,"the farmer says as he holds his wet watch. Each family member gets chicken aid. When Mom's too tired to cook dinner, the chickens don chef's hats, flip bacon, stir soup, brandish knives, and generally stir up the kitchen. After the chickens help the humans, they move on to the animals, rescuing the duck, who drives off with the farmer's car, and herding the sheep, who are running amok. The fun here comes from all the frenzy in the pictures, and it will take kids more than one look to see all the silliness. They'll enjoy that second and third glance.
Horn Book (Spring 2007)
The Greenstalk farm is prone to trouble: on Monday Farmer Greenstalk loses his watch; on Wednesday the dog eats Jeffrey's homework; on Friday the cow gets stuck in a tree. Each time, enthusiastic chickens rush to the rescue--until Sunday when Emily spills breakfast, and the exhausted chickens are sound asleep. A final chuckle-inducing illustration shows hungry pigs sprinting toward the house.
Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 2006)
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)
School Library Journal (October 1, 2006)
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.
OK, it's a one-joke book, but in Himmelman's presentation, the joke gets funnier each time you turn the page. On Monday, Farmer Greenstalk drops his watch down the well . . . "Chickens to the rescue!"The two-page spread features a flock in a flurry. They're wearing bathing caps, or flippers, or goggles. They're flying into each other and diving down in the well. "Those are some chickens,"the farmer says as he holds his wet watch. Each family member gets chicken aid. When Mom's too tired to cook dinner, the chickens don chef's hats, flip bacon, stir soup, brandish knives, and generally stir up the kitchen. After the chickens help the humans, they move on to the animals, rescuing the duck, who drives off with the farmer's car, and herding the sheep, who are running amok. The fun here comes from all the frenzy in the pictures, and it will take kids more than one look to see all the silliness. They'll enjoy that second and third glance.
Horn Book (Spring 2007)
The Greenstalk farm is prone to trouble: on Monday Farmer Greenstalk loses his watch; on Wednesday the dog eats Jeffrey's homework; on Friday the cow gets stuck in a tree. Each time, enthusiastic chickens rush to the rescue--until Sunday when Emily spills breakfast, and the exhausted chickens are sound asleep. A final chuckle-inducing illustration shows hungry pigs sprinting toward the house.
Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 2006)
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)
School Library Journal (October 1, 2006)
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2012
“On Monday, Farmer Greenstalk dropped his watch down the well … Who will come to the rescue? Would you believe … chickens? Believe it! The amazing chickens on the Greenstalk farm race to help various family members every day of the week … every day until Sunday, that is, when Emily Greenstalk has a little trouble. John Himmelman’s expressive illustrations make the most of each heroic chicken moment.”
I admit it: I adore picture books. The only thing better than a picture book is a picture book about chickens—and this book is probably my all-time favorite.
The story is just crazy enough to appeal to kids (“On Thursday, Ernie the duck drove off with the farmer’s truck. Chickens to the rescue!”) while the watercolors on each page suck you in as you hunt for your favorite chicken. Mine is the one who is asleep in every panel, an egg either under her or close by. Then, in the final panel, she’s awake with a kind of smiling pride in her eye, and next to her is a newly hatched baby chick.
Himmelman has a number of picture books out in the same vein, in which pigs and cows also come to the rescue, but he has some nonfiction nature books too. But Chickens to the Rescue will stay on my A-list of chicken books, because it’s so well done and it makes me laugh every single time.
I admit it: I adore picture books. The only thing better than a picture book is a picture book about chickens—and this book is probably my all-time favorite.
The story is just crazy enough to appeal to kids (“On Thursday, Ernie the duck drove off with the farmer’s truck. Chickens to the rescue!”) while the watercolors on each page suck you in as you hunt for your favorite chicken. Mine is the one who is asleep in every panel, an egg either under her or close by. Then, in the final panel, she’s awake with a kind of smiling pride in her eye, and next to her is a newly hatched baby chick.
Himmelman has a number of picture books out in the same vein, in which pigs and cows also come to the rescue, but he has some nonfiction nature books too. But Chickens to the Rescue will stay on my A-list of chicken books, because it’s so well done and it makes me laugh every single time.
September 23, 2011
Did anyone else notice that one of the chickens making dinner has an apron full of eggs?
December 14, 2016
A delight.
May 30, 2018
I grabbed this book while looking for another one, because how could I resist a title like this? This book is hilarious and adorable. I gave it one less star, because farmed animals =/= vegan, but I just loved it anyway. I have two favourite parts of this book. One is the amazing, clever, funny illustrations of rescue chickens solving every problem. The second, is the repeated refrain of "Chickens to the rescue!", love that exclamation mark. I also love the ending. I think this would work better one-on-one because of the details in the pictures, which is the best part. Light on text, so would work for younger kids, 3+, but I think older kids would enjoy the humour and illustrations more. Love.
April 3, 2019
Farmer Greenstalk & his family are incredibly lucky to have such amazing chickens! The plucky poultry retrieve a watch from a well, cook dinner, rewrite a chewed up book report, bring back a stolen truck, rescue a cow from a tree, and bring home lost sheep. Chickens to the rescue! But by Sunday, they are tired and deserve a rest. ...Pigs to the rescue!
This hilarious tale of resourceful hens had the preschoolers in my storytime cackling with glee. We practiced saying the repeated phrase, "Chickens to the rescue!" before we began, and they belted it out with enthusiasm on every other page (spread).
I do wish the human characters weren't all so pale-skinned, but otherwise this is a fantastic, funny, farce.
This hilarious tale of resourceful hens had the preschoolers in my storytime cackling with glee. We practiced saying the repeated phrase, "Chickens to the rescue!" before we began, and they belted it out with enthusiasm on every other page (spread).
I do wish the human characters weren't all so pale-skinned, but otherwise this is a fantastic, funny, farce.
September 11, 2020
At first I thought this was a “read once, return to library” book. A book that might be trying too hard to be silly. But Button loved it and after multiple rereads I began to see the appeal—you notice after the tenth read that the chickens actually liberate their own eggs from the fridge. Nothing they serve the farmer’s wife has eggs in it! It’s the sly humor that won me over. Being the intended audience, Button recognized the wit right away.
May 18, 2024
Got a problem? Chickens to the rescue! These clever birds get nearly everyone out of a scrape before the end of the story. Is there nothing they can't do?
Well ...
This book would have gotten annoying if it had gone on much longer. I'm glad it's broken up by a few adjustments to the narration. But it's really the last page that had me in stitches. It was a good time.
Well ...
This book would have gotten annoying if it had gone on much longer. I'm glad it's broken up by a few adjustments to the narration. But it's really the last page that had me in stitches. It was a good time.
July 30, 2024
A silly story about some remarkable chickens that can finish your homework for you, retrieve stolen trucks, and more. It starts getting a little predictable until the end, when the chickens are too tired for a task (cleaning up spilled food) that real-life chickens could actually do. A quick, funny, short read that works well as a read-aloud.
May 6, 2025
There are a lot of problems on Farmer Greenstalk's farm, but have no fear, because "chickens to the rescue"! Works great for toddlers and preschoolers. If you can read it one-on-one, you can see more details of what all the chickens are doing to help. You can easily have chickens on sticks or have kids flap like chickens when it's time to do some rescuing.
June 30, 2017
I think we could all use a little help. Too bad we don't have some of the delightful creatures in John Himmelman's Barnyard Rescue series!
**Talking Points - What types of help would you want? What types of help do you think your parents would appreciate?
**Talking Points - What types of help would you want? What types of help do you think your parents would appreciate?
August 9, 2017
It's a good thing the Greenstalks have these chickens around to retrieve watches from wells, to make dinner, to write book reports and more. Just don't ask them to do anything on Sunday.
Delightful, detailed illustrations.
Delightful, detailed illustrations.
April 15, 2021
Such a fun and silly story for interactive storytime (children can bock and flap around like chickens when they come to the rescue). The illustrations are adorable and funny. However, all the human characters are white, and only heteronormative gender roles are shown.
November 5, 2025
I think this book is hilarious. Simple plot (chickens swoop in a chaotic action and somehow solve everyday problems). Want to try for storytime, but might be better for a one-on-one reading where kids can explore all the action in the pictures.
July 14, 2017
Silly chickens. I giggled at every page. The illustrations are just so fun and creative. They really convey the chaos of the chickens!
August 9, 2017
Previous to this, I had only read "Cows to the Rescue" and I enjoyed this one much more.
August 28, 2017
These chickens can do anything! Preschoolers can easily participate by yelling, "Chickens to the rescue!"
Birds
Chickens
Birds
Chickens
September 7, 2017
All sorts of calamities happen on the farm and who's there to fix it all? Chickens!
Good for preschool or toddler storytimes, though the kids will see much more with a one-on-one reading.
Good for preschool or toddler storytimes, though the kids will see much more with a one-on-one reading.
January 18, 2018
More for older children. Pre-school not sure. B
January 25, 2018
This book has very little text but is high enough interest that you could get away with it with a slightly older crowd. Humorous.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews