Chook Shed Snake by Phil Cummings
Scholastic, 2009. ISBN 9781862918115.
(Ages 7+) One of a series published by
Omnibus, called Mates,
Chook Shed Snake has broad appeal,
as Phil Cummings, once again, draws upon his wonderful childhood
memories to
relate a story about dad and the snake in the chook shed. Filled with
warm,
endearing characters, families everyone dreams of, and augmented with
Greg
Holdfeld's illustrations, this book, one of four in the series will be
well
used in junior primary classes, where the print size and short chapters
make it
instantly appealing.
Dad, sent by mum to mend the chook house, a
task he had been promising to do for years, is squeamish after Harry
spies a
snake heading towards the little building. He gingerly uses the rake to
pull
away the straw to see where the creature could be hiding, but is pecked
by one
of the chooks, and decides to leave the task to another day. Full of
gentle
humour, the details about life on a farm remind us all of childhoods in
the
past with love and affection.
Others in this fine series, include Thorpey
by Ruth Starke, The Wombat and the Giant Poojam by
Jackie French, and The Smartest Dog of
All by Ian Horrocks.
Fran Knight