Coriander the Contrary Hen

by Dori Chaconas, Marsha Gray Carrington (Illustrator)

Coriander is a contrary, stubborn hen, with a mind of her own. When she decides to plant herself in the middle of the road causing a chaotic traffic jam of cars, trucks, and buses, Farmer Bucket and Mrs. Bucket can't get Coriander to budge. Little Fanny Bucket finally uses a bit of reverse psychology to get her way. But will Coriander have the last laugh?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2006

About the author

Dori Chaconas learned story pacing from an early age while entertaining her younger siblings. The author of such picture books as ON A WINTRY MORNING, ONE LITTLE MOUSE, and MOMMA, WILL YOU?, she lives in Germantown, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikeable lot. Illustrations below average. Not a good one.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I wish the youtube reader would slow down and show the pictures better, but the glimpses I got were a hoot. And the climax is predictable for adults, but still a kick for kids. And... the very end is delicious, perhaps controversial, but most readers will giggle with glee.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright, colorful illustrations add to this story about conflicting desires which has a fun twist at the end. The use of sound words, repetition of words, a repeated rhyming phrase, and nice execution of Aristole's approach to plot make for a wonderful picture book that is perfect for repeat reads.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see a lot of myself in old Coriander, who wants to be contrary about everything she's told. I just wish I could act on it like she does! And, I've come to the conclusion that any picture book concerning a chicken is hilarious. This one just proves my point :)

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a humorous tale about a chicken who goes against everything anyone wants her to do. Sounds like our girls at times... The narrative is short and fun to read aloud. And the colorful illustrations complement the story nicely. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Abigail Breaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coriander did the opposite of what he was told to do. When told to stay, he ran. One day he decided to plop down right in the middle of the road. Cars were getting backed up and everyone was yelling at home to move. But they must’ve forgotten that he does the opposite of what he is told. Finally, the little girl realized and told him not to move. Just then he got up and ran away and cleared the road. This was a fun and silly book that students would enjoy.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this mean little hen. She does what she wants and she doesn't care what other people think about it.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was going to be you catch more bees with honey but no the lesson was use reverse psychology! Amusing! More than a 3 I guess.

[Bethany Mcguirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaconas, D. (2009). Coriander the Contrary Hen. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books.

Tumblebooks
LOV

This is a humorous tale about a hen that just does not want to comply with anybody’s requests. Coriander repeatedly ignores others, and eventually, the other characters discover that if they tell her to do the opposite of what they want her to do, then she will comply. My favorite part about the pictures is that they are not completely static; the small movements in the images really help to capture my attention! With the text read aloud enabling children to follow along, pre-readers and readers alike can enjoy this silly story. It would be an excellent story to share with preK-2 students because students do not yet have to be proficient independent readers to enjoy this book, which means it would make a great option for independent reading activities in the primary grades while the teacher is conducting guided reading with a small group. In addition, this story would be an excellent choice for teaching young students how to use context clues to decipher the meaning of an unknown word because Coriander demonstrates the meaning of the word contrary over and over again!

[Amy Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chaconas, D. & Carrington, M. (2009). Coriander the Contrary Hen. Tumbleweed Press.

Tumblebook

Coriander the Contrary Hen doesn't want to cooperate. She makes a nest right in the middle of the road and refuses to move, causing a substantial traffic jam. Finally one clever girl tells Coriander NOT to move out of the road and NOT to return to the hen house. Coriander does, and true to form, shoos all the other hens out of the coop. Colorfully and humorously illustrated with lots of repetition, rhyming words and good use of white space. This would work really well in a kindergarten class to develop ���-uck��� words (truck, duck, cluck, etc.). It also teaches a great vocabulary word: contrary. As a Tumblebook, it has the added benefit of moving picture parts, as well as narration. Ages 6 to 8.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chaconas, D. & Carrington, M. (2009). Coriander the Contrary Hen. Tumbleweed Press.

Tumblebook

Coriander the Contrary Hen doesn't want to cooperate. She makes a nest right in the middle of the road and refuses to move, causing a substantial traffic jam. Finally one clever girl tells Coriander NOT to move out of the road and NOT to return to the hen house. Coriander does, and true to form, shoos all the other hens out of the coop. Colorfully and humorously illustrated with lots of repetition, rhyming words and good use of white space. This would work really well in a kindergarten class to develop “-uck” words (truck, duck, cluck, etc.). It also teaches a great vocabulary word: contrary. As a Tumblebook, it has the added benefit of moving picture parts, as well as narration. Ages 6 to 8.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny story! We had a good discussion about what contrary means and people that are contrarians. Prior to reading it I asked if they knew what it meant. Some had a bit of an idea. After we read it we talked about it again and the ideas were pretty strong then because there are so many examples in the story.





Who would have ever thought a chicken could be a contrarian?!





We read this book on Tumblebooks.

http://ihaveabookyoushouldread.blogsp...

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coriander never listens and does just the opposite of what she's told. Then one day she decides to build her nest in the middle of the road stopping all traffic. Farmer and Mrs. Bucket can't get her to go back into the henhouse, but little Fanny Bucket has the solution... tell Coriander that she should stay where she is and not listen to what others tell her to do. Immediately, Coriander picks up her things and returns to the henhouse!

[Sherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reverse psychology used on the hen works great with children too!