Shelly Hen Lays Eggs

by Deborah Chancellor, Julia Groves (Illustrator)

A little boy follows Shelly Hen as she searches for food, hangs out with her flock and lays a tasty fresh egg. At the end is a simple quiz and some extra information to stimulate exploring minds. This is the third title in a stylish, fact-filled, narrative non-fiction series designed to help children understand and appreciate where their food comes from. It encourages children to be environmentally aware and respect animals and the people who produce food.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Deborah Chancellor is a writer of fiction and non-fiction books for children. To date she has written nearly 100 books and worked with many leading publishers. Deborah is a versatile author who has written biographies for teenagers, adapted Bible stories for pre-school children, and teenage fiction for older children with reading difficulties. She is a prolific writer of children's non-fiction on a wide range of subjects.

She has been translated into many languages and is sold all over the world. Her books have been shortlisted for awards, such as the Little Rebels Award (Harriet Tubman, 2014) and Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (Being a Vegetarian, 2010).

Deborah is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, and was RFL Fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge University, from 2009-2012. She appears at Literary Festivals and runs writing workshops for young people.

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's non-fiction. This simple story follows Shelly Hen throughout her day, from free-ranging to dust baths, to laying an egg, to roosting at night. This is a great way to introduce readers to the life of a backyard chicken, which of course is very different than the life of the chicken they actually eat for meat. But more and more people have a backyard flock or know someone who does, so this could very well be the story of where their eggs come from. Simple clear text and blocky colorful illustrations (art note says cut paper and digital media). Back matter includes a little more info on some of the topics introduced in the book, a picture of other birds with their eggs that we can also eat, a simple recipe from scrambled eggs, and a note that eggs don't turn into chicks unless the hen meets a rooster. A clear and accurate text for young readers.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple picture book about free-range hens laying eggs. Fun map/trail at the end + information on hens, eggs, and even a recipe for scrambled eggs!

Themes: hens, eggs,
Ages: toddler-1st grade
Pub year: 2024

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to check out the other books in this series. It's a way for preschoolers to learn real information about animals in a story-like style. The bold illustrations make it a great fit for a storytime.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple introduction to the life of a free range chicken. Like the other books in this series: this one is simple and a bit boring, but totally accessible to the target demographic: ages 3-6. The illustrations are great.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to chicken farming for kids, with cute art.

[Robin Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good book. Cute and educational. Have inappropriate questions.

[Norshakila Makmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book to learn about chicken farming.