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Chickerella
This barnyard version of the Cinderella story features a mild-mannered chicken, a fashion-conscious Fairy Goosemother, and a prince at a Fowl Ball.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jane Auch
48 books70 followersMary Jane Auch also writes as MJ Auch.
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
December 1, 2022
Don't judge a book by it's cover. The cover is cute but the illustrations inside are horrible; they're like paper cutouts that look like collages. The chicken prince is really into fashion and only went to the ball to see "all the fancy gowns", not to get married. The chicken Cinderella and the chicken prince didn't want to get married, they created a fashion-line together instead. You can drop kick this into the nearest waste bin.
September 9, 2020
I really enjoyed this duo's The Plot Chickens and hoped this this book would be another "egg-celently" punny story. All I can say is, wow! This is one of the most unusual retellings of "Cinderella" that I've ever read. I really have to give this team credit for creativity. Some reviewers didn't like the fact that the "happily ever after" doesn't involve marriage, but I actually found it somewhat refreshing for a change and I really loved how things came together for Chickerella and the Prince. The story is full of the same egg-centric puns that these creators are known for. However, at times I felt it got to be a bit much here.... like when Chickerella is running away from the ball at midnight and feels an egg coming on and can't stop to lay it so it goes flying up into the air and the prince catches it (she lays beautiful glass eggs, in case you were wondering). I also was not at all a fan of the illustrations and, while I could appreciate the talent that went into making them, I found them really rather creepy as they are 3D models of chickens and have real feathers and are wearing really outlandish clothing. (The cover art is really nothing like the book!) Reviews on this one are very, very mixed so I think it's really a matter of personal taste here.
October 19, 2015
Awesome! Because maybe the prince does't really want to get married either! ;)
May 16, 2017
Chickerella is a fractured tale of Cinderella. The main characters are the step mom, evil step sisters and of course the chicken. It starts off by Chickerella's father getting remarried to a hen from a different farm. The father goes away and the chick is stuck with the step mom and evil step sisters. She did all the chores and was always made fun of. One night as the evil step sisters went to the Fowl Ball; where the chicks fairy goose mother showed up and granted her wish of going to the ball. There she was dancing with the Prince and lost track of time. When she was trying to escape before midnight, the chick lost an egg. The Prince picked it up in hoping of finding who it belonged to. When he finally met Chickerella they decided to work together in making a clothing line. I find the twist of the tale to be interesting because instead of them falling in love with each other, they decided just to make a clothing line. The pictures in this book were interesting but they could have been better.
February 20, 2008
The illustrations in this book were scary. I don't think I would want to read this to my child. Too busy and bizarre. And some of the play on words and the adaptation of making this a chicken Cinderella would get completely lost on the young audience. I can appreciate, however, how much work it must have taken for them to create the book.
January 20, 2013
Sticking with the folk/fairy tale adaptation theme, this is a version of Cinderella. The note on the colophon regarding the art is worth reading as it explains how the chickens were made.
This one doesn't end like the typical Cinderella story. Yup. This one fell flat with me.
This one doesn't end like the typical Cinderella story. Yup. This one fell flat with me.
October 2, 2008
One of the most unintentionally disturbing renditions of the Cinderella tale ever. Picture this -- Cinderella fleeing the ball at midnight with no time to stop for the glass egg she's laying. Makes me think of Kids in the Hall.
September 17, 2014
This is an "egg-cellent" retelling of the Cinderella story.
February 22, 2018
My school librarians helped me locate this book amongst the folktale and fairytale section in our school library. This story is an example of a fractured fairytale based on the popular Cinderella story. The authors used a mixture of materials to create the illustrations such as stuffed chicken mannequins, clay, copper and wire as well as computerized special effects.
I would describe this story as the farmhouse version of Cinderella: all of the characters are chickens. Similar to the familiar U.S. version of Cinderella, Chickerella loses her mother due to a fox kidnapping which leaves her father a widower. The language in the story is interesting and may be fun for young readers because the authors incorporate word play using words such as "eggsquisite," "eggscessories," and "cluck naked." One interesting twist to this story is that rather than get married, the prince and Chickerella bond over their love for fashion and they go on to start their on fashion line in "New Yolk." This story would be appropriate for children in 1st - 3rd grade. I think that young readers would be delighted by the word play in the text as well as the unique illustrations.
I would describe this story as the farmhouse version of Cinderella: all of the characters are chickens. Similar to the familiar U.S. version of Cinderella, Chickerella loses her mother due to a fox kidnapping which leaves her father a widower. The language in the story is interesting and may be fun for young readers because the authors incorporate word play using words such as "eggsquisite," "eggscessories," and "cluck naked." One interesting twist to this story is that rather than get married, the prince and Chickerella bond over their love for fashion and they go on to start their on fashion line in "New Yolk." This story would be appropriate for children in 1st - 3rd grade. I think that young readers would be delighted by the word play in the text as well as the unique illustrations.
February 27, 2016
Chickerella is a fractured tale based on the fairy tale Cinderella. I have always liked the tale of Cinderella and I am from the country so when I saw this title, naturally I picked it up. The illustrations are not really illustrations, but rather "sets". This aspect also caught my eye.
When you pick up the book there is a dust jacket with Chickerella in her favorite color dress striking a pose on a dark blueish purple background. The title is in pink and is in a rather girlish font. When you open up the book at look at the end pages there is another lighter blue background with images of the characters and aspects of the story spread along the pages. The title page has a purple background but has Chickerella in a regular dress with cutouts of chickens and spools of thread along with some other tools.
The "sets" are made of mannequins and miscellaneous items found and constructed with wires and such to make them stand up. I thought this aspect was pretty cool because it was new to any book I had read. Normally in books I have seen before the images are typically illustrated/drawn. They are often full-bleed with few exceptions being in borders.
The font is rather simplistic throughout the book and is always on a simple background either on the top or bottom of a page where it is easy to read. I'm not sure I would say they are in a border themselves due to the fact that the background often continues behind the text.
Overall the story is pretty cute especially when there are egg puns within the words. There is definitely a different twist on the end of the book and I'm not sure if I like it more or less than the original ending. This version is a good one to read to little kids who might not grasp the concept of love yet or for those parents who are not ready to explain why the prince and the princess get married.
When you pick up the book there is a dust jacket with Chickerella in her favorite color dress striking a pose on a dark blueish purple background. The title is in pink and is in a rather girlish font. When you open up the book at look at the end pages there is another lighter blue background with images of the characters and aspects of the story spread along the pages. The title page has a purple background but has Chickerella in a regular dress with cutouts of chickens and spools of thread along with some other tools.
The "sets" are made of mannequins and miscellaneous items found and constructed with wires and such to make them stand up. I thought this aspect was pretty cool because it was new to any book I had read. Normally in books I have seen before the images are typically illustrated/drawn. They are often full-bleed with few exceptions being in borders.
The font is rather simplistic throughout the book and is always on a simple background either on the top or bottom of a page where it is easy to read. I'm not sure I would say they are in a border themselves due to the fact that the background often continues behind the text.
Overall the story is pretty cute especially when there are egg puns within the words. There is definitely a different twist on the end of the book and I'm not sure if I like it more or less than the original ending. This version is a good one to read to little kids who might not grasp the concept of love yet or for those parents who are not ready to explain why the prince and the princess get married.
October 12, 2009
Chickerella’s single father married a hen, who had two daughters, from another farm. The stepmother sent Chickerella’s father on a wild goose chase and he never returned. The stepmother then sent Chickerella to live in the springhouse and do all of the chores. While living in the springhouse, her eggs were becoming transparent and were made of glass. Then the stepsisters announced that the prince had invited them to a ball. Chickerella helped the stepsisters get ready for this ball, wishing she could attend as well. After they left, her Fairy Goosemother greeted her. She gave Chickerella a new sky blue pink dress to wear to the ball. Chickerella and the prince danced until she realized she had to leave. As she was departing, she left behind one of her glass eggs. When the prince came around the next day, he wanted all of the hens to present their eggs so that he could find the hen that the glass egg belonged to. When he found Chickerella, her eggs were the only glass eggs he could find. They both decided they didn’t want to get married, but instead wanted to start a new fashion business with the help of the Fairy Goosemother. They all lived happily ever after.
I thought this was an interesting spin on the original Cinderella story. I have to admit that I did not enjoy this book as much as the others I read. I thought the illustrations were a little different, and not to my liking. I also did not like that the prince and Chickerella did not get married. I think this took away the tradition of the fairytale for me. I think this is probably the most modern version of Cinderella, especially because of the fashion aspect. Children may enjoy reading this in the classroom for enjoyment and compare the similarities and differences among stories.
I thought this was an interesting spin on the original Cinderella story. I have to admit that I did not enjoy this book as much as the others I read. I thought the illustrations were a little different, and not to my liking. I also did not like that the prince and Chickerella did not get married. I think this took away the tradition of the fairytale for me. I think this is probably the most modern version of Cinderella, especially because of the fashion aspect. Children may enjoy reading this in the classroom for enjoyment and compare the similarities and differences among stories.
September 29, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Review:From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3–"Chickerella had a wonderful chickhood until one night when a fox got into the coop and carried off her mother." Thus begins a new fractured fairy tale in which Chickerella lays glass eggs and everyone wants to go to the prince's Fowl Ball. Though Chickerella has no interest in getting married and only wants to see the fancy gowns, her stepmother will not allow her to go. To the rescue comes the Fairy Goosemother, who has a penchant for fashion design and gives good pragmatic advice such as, "Don't wait for someone else to fix things, dearie. You take charge." Unfortunately, the showy artwork tends to overwhelm the punchy story line. Handmade chicken mannequins with heads of polymer clay were dressed, adorned, and positioned on sets made from found objects and photographed. The artist then used a computer to generate scale and special effects. While full of clever details, such as Chickerella's bright orange "Chickenstock" sandals, the photographs are quite jarring. Still, this is a pun-filled story for libraries in which fractured fairy tales are popular, and the ending will satisfy children who like "eggstravaganzas."–Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recommendations: I recommend this book for students ages 5-8. It is a modern spin on an old fairy tail. Students will like the real looking illustrations
Notes: More for independent reading than a read-aloud
Review:From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3–"Chickerella had a wonderful chickhood until one night when a fox got into the coop and carried off her mother." Thus begins a new fractured fairy tale in which Chickerella lays glass eggs and everyone wants to go to the prince's Fowl Ball. Though Chickerella has no interest in getting married and only wants to see the fancy gowns, her stepmother will not allow her to go. To the rescue comes the Fairy Goosemother, who has a penchant for fashion design and gives good pragmatic advice such as, "Don't wait for someone else to fix things, dearie. You take charge." Unfortunately, the showy artwork tends to overwhelm the punchy story line. Handmade chicken mannequins with heads of polymer clay were dressed, adorned, and positioned on sets made from found objects and photographed. The artist then used a computer to generate scale and special effects. While full of clever details, such as Chickerella's bright orange "Chickenstock" sandals, the photographs are quite jarring. Still, this is a pun-filled story for libraries in which fractured fairy tales are popular, and the ending will satisfy children who like "eggstravaganzas."–Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recommendations: I recommend this book for students ages 5-8. It is a modern spin on an old fairy tail. Students will like the real looking illustrations
Notes: More for independent reading than a read-aloud
October 20, 2016
Chickerella's single father marries a hen from another hen. At first things seem great, until her new family turns her into a servant. She is no longer allowed to live in the main coop anymore or eat with her step family, but must cook and clean and do all the work at her new home lifestyle; she isn't even allowed to go to the Fowl Ball, that is, until she meets her Fairy Goosemother who helps her make a gown and go to the Fowl Ball. She gets to dance and meets the prince. Upon leaving she leaves behind one of her "glass eggs" which is how the prince finds her in the end.
One thing I loved about this story was the books play on words. Multiple times, the author incorporates the word "egg" into specific words within the story: eggcited, eggcesories, eggcelent, eggstravaganza.
The illustrations within this book were hysterical. Mary Hane and Hern Auch made clay models with posable legs and designed and sewed the outfits. Herm found or made the furniture and took pictures of everything, then put the pictures together on the computer adding in special effects to enhance the illustrations even more. This truly amazed me that they put in so much work to make such unique and hilarious pictures to go along with the already hysterical picture book. It was a funny spin on the true original story of Cinderella. Definitely an interesting take on this fairy tale but it did make me laugh. I'm not sure if I would select this for a good example for students, I feel there might be better examples out there, (this one was a bid odd overall, although funny).
One thing I loved about this story was the books play on words. Multiple times, the author incorporates the word "egg" into specific words within the story: eggcited, eggcesories, eggcelent, eggstravaganza.
The illustrations within this book were hysterical. Mary Hane and Hern Auch made clay models with posable legs and designed and sewed the outfits. Herm found or made the furniture and took pictures of everything, then put the pictures together on the computer adding in special effects to enhance the illustrations even more. This truly amazed me that they put in so much work to make such unique and hilarious pictures to go along with the already hysterical picture book. It was a funny spin on the true original story of Cinderella. Definitely an interesting take on this fairy tale but it did make me laugh. I'm not sure if I would select this for a good example for students, I feel there might be better examples out there, (this one was a bid odd overall, although funny).
March 1, 2016
Chickerella is an, as you could guess, fractured fairy tale based on the original story, Cinderella. Though I think the idea of recreating stories is fun and adds new renditions of old classics, I'm not sure I really enjoyed this specific story. Mary Jane and Herm Auch did a wonderful job on their illustrations that must have taken forever. With each character made separately and with new emotions, as well as costumes and new backdrops, I can't imagine the effort they put into the book. With that being said, I'm not a fan of the plot, especially the ending, or the humor. I feel as if the humor added into the book may be a bit too mature for elementary students to grasp.
Another thing that I was confused on was the abrupt interruptions and plot changes. I felt as if the story had been written to be a post-modern picture book, with the characters semi-aware of the plot, but fell short because of the fact that it was so similar to the original, but all at the same time a completely different story.
Another thing that I was confused on was the abrupt interruptions and plot changes. I felt as if the story had been written to be a post-modern picture book, with the characters semi-aware of the plot, but fell short because of the fact that it was so similar to the original, but all at the same time a completely different story.
October 15, 2009
This is an interesting take on the classic story of Cinderella! All of the main characters are chickens and roosters, and Chickerella's stepsisters are named Ovumelda and Cholestera! Chickerella is forced to do chores and make clothes for her two evil stepsisters. She doesn't even sleep in the coop anymore. When the prince announces he is having a ball to find a bride, the two stepsisters put Chickerella to work. When they finally leave for the ball, Chickerella gets a surprise from her Fairy Goosemother!
Students will enjoy this twist on the classic tale of Cinderella. The unique pictures are a collaboration between the two authors, who used clay models and handmade outfits and furnishings. Students also might like some of the slang terms like "doncha" or "coulda" found in the book. They can listen for fun plays on words like "eggsquisite" or "eggcited". This is definitely a modern version of Cinderella, her Fairy Goosemother sends her to the ball in a cab!
Students will enjoy this twist on the classic tale of Cinderella. The unique pictures are a collaboration between the two authors, who used clay models and handmade outfits and furnishings. Students also might like some of the slang terms like "doncha" or "coulda" found in the book. They can listen for fun plays on words like "eggsquisite" or "eggcited". This is definitely a modern version of Cinderella, her Fairy Goosemother sends her to the ball in a cab!
February 16, 2011
This is a charming and photographic tale of fowls gone wild. The traditional Cinderella take is retold with myriad feathers and scrap fabric samples. Words like 'eggciting" and " eggzample" are invented to add to the satirical feel. The photographs of hand-crafted chickens that illustrate this fun text are memorable for their unabashed tackiness. Chickerella lays precious, and translucent, glass eggs while the prince, who really wasn't looking for wife (that was his mother's idea--he loves fashion) , falls for the gifted, headlining chick. Even the Fairy Goosemother is in on both empowerment and the fashion angle, and a good business results from her fealty. Fun with feathers and fairytales-- enjoy with your readers who can appreciate a goodhearted spoof on the most beloved of their fantasies, now and then.
October 14, 2009
In this new spinoff of Cinderella in a similar story involving chickens, Chickerella is forced to live with her step mother and step sisters after her mother is taken by a fox from the coop. The familiar storyline leads to their home taking a turn for the worst with Chickerella being forced to complete the chores and prepare the food. With so much to be done, Chickerella won't be able to attend the Fowl Ball until her Fairy Goosemother appears in time to save the day. Chickerella dazzles the prince in her beautiful gown, but she must be home by the stroke of midnight before the spell wears off, which leaves the prince with only a glass egg in finding the true identity of his love.
March 9, 2016
We may be reading Ella Enchanted for Grade 3 book club. This was a great way to lead into the discussion about different versions of stories. We also have read The Bremen Town Musicians in Open Court. One of the members of our class found a Grimm's Fairy Tales in the library that had it as well. After watching a video, we learned that versions of stories really vary!
The illustrations in this story are amazing! We could have read through this book and pointed out interesting things for 30 minutes or more, I'm sure.
The ending is hilarious - the prince actually doesn't want to get married, just like Chickerella! They actually go into business together instead. :)
The illustrations in this story are amazing! We could have read through this book and pointed out interesting things for 30 minutes or more, I'm sure.
The ending is hilarious - the prince actually doesn't want to get married, just like Chickerella! They actually go into business together instead. :)
March 18, 2010
This is a nice fractured fairy tale book based on "Cinderella." The characters are all changed to ducks, but it follows the same story line as Cinderella. On example of how the story is changed is instead of a glass slipper, the prince is seeking whoever laid the glass egg. The book uses creative language to help make the story unique to chickens. For example, uses eggtravagant. The illustrations are very colorful and would be considered silly for most children.
I would use this book as a read-aloud to a K-3 class and also have it available for independent reading.
I would use this book as a read-aloud to a K-3 class and also have it available for independent reading.
February 19, 2013
Wow, this is an interesting book. I was actually unsure of what rating I wanted to give it. There is some humor sprinkled throughout the book. Chickenrella's step-sisters are Ovumelda and Cholestera. However, the redundant use of "egg" became slightly irritating, and I'm pretty sure that the step-mom fed the dad to the wolves. Furthermore, the "illustrations" are wacky. They are almost too distracting.
I did, however, enjoy that Chickenrella and the prince didn't want to get married and that Chickenrella ended up pursing her dream.
Nice message but completely wacky.
I did, however, enjoy that Chickenrella and the prince didn't want to get married and that Chickenrella ended up pursing her dream.
Nice message but completely wacky.
February 20, 2012
This was a silly version of a classic Cinderella story. In this book Chickerella lives a happy life until her father marries a wicked women with two daughters, Ovumelda and Cholestera. The illustrations are very silly that the hens are dressed in fashionable special affect clothing. Even though the pictures are very silly, the message in the book is interesting. Instead of getting married and living happily ever after, they open up their own fashion line called Chickerella.
May 6, 2013
This book was quite a surprise at the end. My daughter loves Cinderella, so I grabbed this at the library because the photos looked hilarious and it appeared to be Cinderella themed. I don't want to put the ending into my review because I'd like people to be as pleasantly surprised as I was. Bravo to the author! This is a great twist to the classic story for girls to hear. I plan to buy a copy of our own when I return this to the library.
July 23, 2014
I like the story, but I'm not wild about the pictures. Both Chickerella and the Prince go to the ball just to see the gowns. In the end, they both, along with the Fairy Goosemother, start a fashion line and work happily ever after.
The photos seriously can be a bit creepy as they're all of chicken doll forms covered in feathers. They remind me of old viewfinder pictures for some reason.
Okay for preschool storytime.
The photos seriously can be a bit creepy as they're all of chicken doll forms covered in feathers. They remind me of old viewfinder pictures for some reason.
Okay for preschool storytime.
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October 1, 2014This book was very interesting. It was a very cute spinoff of the original Cinderella, the author used very funny replacements from the original Cinderella. This book has very cute photos that are realistic and colorful. These really catch the readers eye and keeps them interested in what they're reading. Over all I think this book is super cute and something different, and gets the reader insterested.
April 27, 2017
Okay, this one was way too fun. I'm starting to wonder if there's a whole subgenre of chicken-Cinderella mashups after Brett's Cinders. This one is just wacky, though, loaded with egg puns and using cute little mannequin birds dressed up in formal wear. The detail in the photographs is really well done; at one point, Cinderella's father is reading her "Peeping Beauty," which is apparently another poultry-based book by the Auchs. The ending is hilarious and also a lot of fun.
October 18, 2009
This story has great illustrations and it's a typical Cinderella story. It's about a chicken named, Chickerella. Chickerella's new stepmother and stepsisters move in the chicken coop. Chickerella is forced to cook and clean for her new family. Chickerella is upset because she cannot attend the Fowl ball. When her fairy goosemother appears things begin to change.
August 9, 2016
A very zany retelling of Cinderella. All of the characters are chickens and Chickerella and the prince are into fashion. Many chicken references throughout the book will be lost on kids not aware of farm life. Adults will need to read the book themselves before reading it to kids because of many made up words. All in all a very funyy story.
December 9, 2013
Any reader that loves Cinderella will love 'Chickerella', a slight spin-off. While it does follow the same story line as Cinderella, it goes off track at times. However, these small changes are what make the story unique and funny! The pictures of this book are also very interesting and eye-catching!
June 9, 2014
This book just worked for me in every way. My granddaughter loved the pictures with all the glittery fabric and the silly expressions. I loved the humor, although I realize very small children wouldn't get it. Nevertheless, it was a fun and unique rendition of the classic story with clever adaptations to fit the target age.
August 19, 2009
Mommy says: Auch has rewritten a number of fairy tales from a chicken's perspective. In Chickerella, as in her other books, Auch heavily loads the narrative with poultry puns. It went beyond annoying to downright distracting, to the point where I refuse to read any more of her books. Argh!
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