cover image Super Chicken!

Super Chicken!

Rebecca Purcell. Scholastic/Cartwheel, $7.99 (14p) ISBN 978-0-545-45170-3

Foil accents and die-cuts enliven Purcell’s first children’s book, which highlights the power of imagination in three everyday scenarios. “This is Chicken,” Purcell writes, as her roundheaded hero stands indoors, cape neatly hung up on a hook, goggles and superhero belt at the ready. Chicken’s playtime (“Chicken builds a castle out of blocks”) is immediately followed by a more heroic version of events (“Super Chicken rescues a baby dragon!”), and bathtime and bedtime provide similar chances for action. Purcell’s geometric, primary-colored spreads are filled with household objects and other conversation starters, offering many opportunities for parent-child interaction. Up to age 3. (Jan.)