BEAUTY AND THE BEAKS
by Mary Jane Auch and Herm Auch & illustrated by Mary Jane Auch and Herm Auch
Leaving no yolk uncracked, the Auchs strut their stuff once again with this Thanksgiving tale of an arrogant turkey and the goodhearted hens who take him under their wings. “Wattle I do?” wails Lance the turkey, upon discovering that he’s about to become a main course. Because flying or even climbing the fence are not options, it’s up to Beauty and her feathered cohorts at the Chic Hen salon to save his drumsticks—by disguising him as another hen. This requires a makeover of the most eggstensive sort. Constructed from modeling clay and various sorts of brightly hued sewn and felted fabrics, the stylish all-poultry cast clucks and flutters its way through scatterings of Photoshopped beauty supplies and farmyard details. Not only does the subterfuge work, it turns Lance into a regular, cross-dressing customer of the Chic Hen. Readers will cackle endlessly. (Picture book. 6-8)