FOUR HENS AND A ROOSTER

The hens revolt when Rooster gets too big for his britches in this droll barnyard spoof. Responding to timid complaints that their assigned spots at the feeding trough are smaller than his, Rooster calls in two beefy “booster roosters” to help him crow the hens into submission. In response, the hens enroll in a self-esteem-building course that gives them the courage to face him down—whereupon he stalks off in a huff to work on an “important project.” The sunny, simple illustrations play up the comical contrast between the plump hens and their bantam-sized, fiercely self-absorbed trough mate, and will draw at least as much laughter as the tongue-in-cheek plot. Fans of Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Moo (2000), illustrated by Betsy Lewin, and other Animal Farm offshoots, will be particularly amused. (Picture book. 6-8)