Big Fat Hen: A Counting Book About Chicks, Eggs, and Hens for Toddlers

by Keith Baker

One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, shut the door. Nine, ten, big fat hen! Now young children can enjoy a popular nursery rhyme and learn to count, too. Keith Baker's delightful illustrations filled with eggs and chicks (and bugs) are sure to tickle little ones for multiple rounds of read-aloud fun. "There are lots of things to count, such as sticks, eggs, chicks, and hens. A fine choice for toddler story hours.” ( School Library Journal)

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Counting, Nursery Rhymes, Childrens, Animals, Birds

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Keith Baker


Keith Baker lives in Seattle. He has written and illustrated many acclaimed picture books for young children, including the New York Times bestselling LMNO Peas; 1-2-3 Peas; Little Green Peas; Hap-pea All Year; LMNO Pea-quel; My Octopus Arms; and No Two Alike.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Bilingual Spanish-- English board book.

Pictures are nice to look at. Very nice and brightly drawn. Children's classic song "One, Two buckle my shoe."

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This green big fat hen will have you counting in no time!

[Chelsea Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute counting book! It adds rhymes as you go such as 1, 2 buckle my shoe and 3, 4 shut the door. The illustrations are cute as well! It is a cartoon-like hen and you are counting her eggs. In the end the book shows the hen's friends and all of their eggs/chicks together. Kids will love the colors, rhyming, and of course seeing the adorable baby chicks!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids really like this book. The artwork is bright and colorful and each hen as her own fanciful designs on her feathers. The chicks are really adorable. It's a fun take on the nursery rhyme "One, two, buckle my shoe". Really, really cute.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to two groups of toddlers. The illustrations are colorful yet simple with bold, defined lines. I like that it incorporates counting.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so so cute for little ones. Really colorful and vivid and rhymes. Almost 2 year old looked at it forever.... Really cute little book.

[Rachel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations are cartoony and sweet. Love the simplicity of the poetry, it makes it open to younger grades.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read at Baby Lap Time on 4/8/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby Lap Time on 9/28/11 and 9/29/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby Lap Time on 2/1/12 & 2/2/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby/Toddler Lap Time on 3/23/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby Time on 4/4/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby Lap Time on 8/9/12 and 8/10/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby Lap Time on 10/18/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Baby/Toddler Story Time on 11/29/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Toddler Lap Time on 2/8/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Moms Club Story Time on 9/11/14: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read a farm-themed story time at my house on 9/23/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen
Illustrated by Keith Baker

Genre: Counting

A cute rhyming story that counts up to ten. The pictures are wonderful.

Critique:
A. The area for critique is definitely the illustrations.
B. The illustrator uses shading and many colors to make this book memorable. I am not quite sure of the technique here but I think it is a paint/pastel combination. The author uses both pages to illustrate one idea.
C. I particularly like the first page, 1 and 2. The hen has laid 2 eggs but she is chasing a dragon fly. It seems to me that the dragon fly scared the hen enough that she laid her eggs! There is a lot of yellow/tan colors but still the illustrations are amazing. Throughout all of the illustrations, there is some small detail that is missed the first time around. Numbers 5 and 6 have snails that the hen is looking at,"pick up sticks" has a lady bug up near the leaf.

Curriculum Connection:
I would use this in any age classroom to enforce counting and rhyming techniques.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Counting

Summary: A classic nursery rhyme of numbers is retold and depicted with colorful illustrations.

Critique: A. Rhyme
B. This story is told in a simple rhyme scheme that is easily related to small children. Using numbers as rhyming words allows children to remember them and recognize them.
C. For example, the story says, "3, 4, shut the door." This is a simple line that many children would remember and is easy to say.

Curriculum Connection: This story would be most effective for preschool aged children. The simple rhymes with the numbers and concepts could be used in the classroom and at home with parents. For example, the teacher could count and use numbers as rhyming words throughout everyday activities. If the parent or the teacher is reading this story aloud to children, the reader could prompt children to count the many eggs and chicks depicted at the end of the story.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This familiar nursery rhyme is a great way to help your child learn to recognize numbers, or learn to read.
The illustrations give clear visual clues as to what number or verse is in the accompanying text. For every odd number there is a corresponding number of insects milling around in the picture and for every even number there are that many eggs piling up with the mama hen. For every rhyming verse you will see the chicks (from the eggs on the previous page) performing said task. (One, -dragonfly- two, -eggs-, buckle my shoe, -2 chicks buckling a shoe-, three, -worms- four, -eggs-, shut the door -four chicks shutting a door-,...and so on and so forth.) There is a twist at the end, more than I had ever heard....the hen has friends and they too have chicks!

[Lamar Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Main Characters: Six big fat hens and a plethora of their offspring
Point of View: 3rd person
Plot: The book follows six hens as they lay their eggs and hatch baby chicks. As the book progresses, the eggs laid increases by 2, all the way up to 10.
Main Ideas:Counting, Rhyming, Sequencing

The illustrations are awesomely vibrant and complement the simple story line very well. The rhyming and counting make the story very entertaining and engaging. I was surprised at how industrious the newly hatched baby chicks were, they tackled some very arduos tasks with the abilities of chickens at least three times their age. In addition to learning to count by twos, children may also be inspired to advance their skill set and tackle more advanced activites! heers to Big Fat Hen!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen is a really good book! It contains very colorful images which can help to catch a reader's eye! This book helps children to learn their numbers by using rhymes. I can see myself using this book in my classroom because it is an easy read, but very helpful at the same time! I would recommend this book to any parents who are in need of a little help with teaching their children how to count.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple classic nursery rhyme "one, two--buckle my shoe" told with saturated colors and a big fat hen. Great counting book that respects children's intelligence--for example, the one, two page has two eggs and one dragonfly, but doesn't label them "one dragonfly" or "two eggs". At the end, there is a lot of counting to do as well. Good conversation starter about different animals and vocabulary around them (and the word buckle).

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2 page spread for each half line of the rhyme (so, "1, 2" is a 2 page spread and "buckle my shoe" is another 2 page spread). You can find the items corresponding with the numbers on the number page. The 2nd number always matches up with eggs. On the next 2 page spread, the eggs have hatched and are now chicks!

The illustrations are bright and beautiful. The hens have a lot of colorful character.

[Tionna Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fat hen is a book that I read and just fell in love with.It has a easy to follow story line which most people already know because it is a popular nursery rhyme. The hen's and just all the illustrations just pop off the page with the vibrant colors that just catch your attention immediately. This book is great for young children because it can be read or sung and because it has counting and sequence throughout the story.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children get to enjoy a popular nursery rhyme while learning to count! This brings new life to the classic nursery rhyme "One, two buckle my shoe". A fun and educational read for young learners! This book is full of fun illustrations that are sure to delight the young reader. Learning to count is a key lesson for young people, and this makes it fun, while not straying too far from the nursery rhymes that adults grew up loving.

recommended for preschool through first grade.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colorful math book features number comparison, object grouping, addition, and subtraction in this story is very entertaining and engaging. It would be also a good way to help children to recognize numbeers or learn to read for preschool aged children. The simple rhymes with the numbers could be used throughout the activites(counting/numbers/rhyming words) in the classroom or home.

[Nick Somsavanh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen (1994) is a counting book written and illustrated by Keith Baker that utilizes the classic nursery rhyme and puts it in visual book form for children to read or sing along to, either independently, with their classmates and educator or with their parents. The book uses the full space of the pages with big bright colors and cartoon animations to help get young readers instantly engaged with the material. The story keeps a rhythmic pace as each line of the nursery rhyme is given two pages to breathe and be seen by the reader(s). The story also goes beyond the original count to ten and repeats the cycle up to six with different rhymes, giving the classic story a new and exciting twist comparable to mini-sequel to the original. Entertaining with great artwork, I highly recommend the book as material that can be read and sung aloud by educators and parents to Pre-K students or used independently by Kindergarten students to help them master counting up to ten.
Winner of the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text (1995).

[Dana Hunt]

Title: Big Fat Hen
Author: Keith Baker
Illustrator: Keith Baker
Genre: Fiction, Specimens
Theme(s): Counting

Opening Line/sentence: “1, 2… buckle my shoe”

Brief Book Summary: This counting book counts to ten with catch phrases in between the numbers to tell a story about a hen and her hatching chicks. It is an upbeat, colorful book with a hen and her friends that catches the readers attention through illustrations.

Professional Recommendation/ Review #1: Marilyn Courtot- Children’s Literature “Count from 1 to 10 with the big fat hen and all of her chicks. The picture book has been transformed into a board book and it works quite well. The bright bold illustrations will intrigue the young ones, and they'll have fun counting all of the chicks, sticks, hens and eggs.”

Professional Recommendation/ Review #2: Kirkus- Kirkus Reviews “In vibrant full-bleed spreads, a boldly graphic rendition of "1, 2, buckle my shoe," with the numbers from 1 to 10 enacted by the "big fat hen" and her friends and their hatching chicks. The spread for each couplet's first line features a decoratively individualized hen with an appropriate number of insects and eggs; in the second, the eggs have hatched and the chicks carry out the action described. The bright, uncluttered acrylic illustrations are rendered in saturated tones strongly outlined in black on a ground of golden yellow, making the figures especially easy to count, while large square pages and bouncy hand lettering add to the visual effectiveness. After the basic rhyme is complete, however, the book's internal logic falters. Six hens are counted, then "all their eggs" are presented: 50, i.e., 20 more than appear within the rhyme, while the chicks that hatch from them number only 49. Still, the art is gorgeous.”

Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these reviews hit on similar aspects of the book that I did in my summary. As the book counts to ten the reader is observing hens taking on small tasks such as buckling a shoe or shutting a door. The simplicity of the book allows the reader to concentrate on the numbers, words, and visuals without it being overbearing.

Evaluation of Literary Elements: The bright and different colored hens expand the imagination of readers as the bold lettering stands out to attract the reader. The double page illustrations vividly express the hen’s story as she hatches her chicks. This story is filled with positivity as a mother hen pursues friendships with other hens and hatches her chicks.

Consideration of Instructional Application: This book opens a child’s imagination through bright and appealing visuals while also testing their knowledge of counting to ten. Children also are witnessing how chicks come from eggs and their mother hens. It shows the reader a brief glimpse of the life cycle and how hens hatch eggs. Overall, this books simplicity yet positive theme was engaging for a young reader.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story line was hard to assimilate at first because I grew up with the version in which a fox prepares everything to find a big fat hen for its next meal. Once I realized there would be no fox present, I readjusted my thoughts, and I found it ironic that the story is about many big fat hens getting things ready for their chicks first meal. Of course, this is a view on an adult level. Children will benefit from this book because there is opportunity to count in rhyme. the book is good for developing comprehension skills; the counting goes along with the illustrated actions. This book will engage children in a lot of conversation with an adult or among themselves.

[Jackie Sisley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen is an illustrated version of the nursery rhyme many know from childhood. It is a short book that is beautifully illustrated and very engaging for young readers. The lines rhyme so it is fun to listen to and read. It involves math with addition and rational counting, science with life cycles, and social-emotional skills with mother/child relationships. I recommend this book for teachers, parents, and young readers alike.

[Amanda Badgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute counting book! The artwork is bright and colorful and each hen as her own fanciful designs on her feathers. The chicks are really adorable. It's a fun take on the nursery rhyme "One, two, buckle my shoe". Really, really cute. The illustrations are cute as well! It is a cartoon-like hen and you are counting her eggs. In the end the book shows the hen's friends and all of their eggs/chicks together. Kids will love the colors, rhyming, and of course seeing the adorable baby chicks!

[Wendy Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book to practice reading and math! It is a counting book with beautiful illustrations. I also like that it goes with a children's song and it could be either read or sung to children. Animals are always a kid's favorite and I think they would enjoy this book very much, especially very small kids. The last pages provide a challenge for those who want to count beyond 10!

[Magaly Almario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen, is a good read aloud book for young children because of its illustrations, they are colorful and fun, the book uses hens, eggs and the hatching of eggs to teach numbers 1 to 10. The book does not contained a broad vocabulary instead it focuses on numbers which makes it great for math lessons and or children who are more inclined towards numbers instead of letters.

[Mariah Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Fat Hen is an all time favorite. Many know of the song "One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, shut the door. . . . . Nine, ten, big fat hen" this book is a interpretation of the song. Big Fat Hen has colorful illustrations and uses figurative meaning. It also uses counting which can help develop counting skills in young children. This book is developmentally age appropriate.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most adorable counting books out there. Simple so it keeps a young child's attention and it's rhyming. So, two in one...sort of. The chicks are absolutely adorable and will definitely lead to some sort of discussion. I would say that three is the oldest you should go with this book but at the same time every child's different.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using the traditional nursery rhyme which starts, “1, 2, buckle my shoe” Baker has produced a gorgeously illustrated version of a counting book set in a poultry barn which not only climaxes with “9, 10 a big fat hen,” but continues on with all the hen’s colorful chicken friends, but also a multiplicity of eggs and hatching chicks for those who want to keep counting beyond ten.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing exceptional story-wise - it's really an illustrated nursery rhyme. Still, it was a good toddler storytime read. The pictures are big and bold and colorful, easy for the group to see. It's a good participation book, with the counting (and the rhyme, if they know it).

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book version of the rhyme "1, 2, buckle my shoe" with a counting element to it. Would be a cute way to add a counting activity to a farm-themed storytime. Each hen is a different color, so that could add another learning element to storytime as well. A good pick for toddler storytime.