Mr Chicken goes to Paris by Leigh Hobbs
Allen
and Unwin, 2009. ISBN 9781741757699.
(Ages: Junior primary)
Hobbs has developed another unusual main
character in Mr Chicken, a rather single minded, taciturn chook with a
mouth
that is always down at the ends. Invited by his friend Yvette to visit
her in
Paris, Mr Chicken is eager to go, consulting maps before boarding the
plane,
economy class, to Paris. There, he and Yvette tour the main features of
Paris:
Arc de Triomphe, Musee du Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the
Palace
of Versailles.
At each place Mr Chicken has a comment to
pass, sometimes in French, as he asks people to take his photo,
observes what
is around him or is served a meal. His bright yellow physique stands
out
amongst the crowds, and the reader can see that it is the chicken that
the
other tourists are watching, not the scenery they have come to see.
A wry look at tourism and its allied
industries, Leigh Hobbs has created a likeable monster, which will
charm the
readers as they view Paris through his eyes and see Mr Chicken through
the eyes
of other tourists. Full of colour and Hobbs' easily identifiable
drawings, Mr. Chicken goes to Paris will be
wonderful read aloud to a class and just as joyous read alone, but the
reader
will want to share.
Fran Knight