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My Life as a Chicken Hardcover – Picture Book, May 1, 2007

by Ellen A. Kelley (Author), Michael Slack (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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When Pauline Poulet learns she'll be the next special of the day at Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Café, she flies the coop faster than you can say "Chicken pie, delicious"! Thus begins her journey of peril and catastrophe, courage and chance: She is chased. She is dunked. She is tossed tail over beak. But can Pauline escape the dinner plate?

Kids everywhere will love clucking along with this chicken's battle cry: "Pauline, prevail!"
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  1. Reading age
    4 - 7 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Dimensions
    10 x 0.39 x 11 inches
  6. Publisher
    Harcourt Children's Books
  7. Publication date
    May 1, 2007
  8. ISBN-10
    0152053069
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0152053062
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3—Pauline Poulet reveals all in this tale of adventure. After hearing the farmer plotting to put her in a chicken pie, the plucky hen escapes her dreary life of doing nothing but laying eggs and winds up in a scary wood. She outfoxes the fox chasing her, and her new motto is born: "Pauline, Prevail!" But things get worse when she falls into the river and is picked up by pirate cats; she barely escapes the bloodthirsty ship's cook and, after a slight problem with a hot-air balloon and a kite, she lands safely in a petting zoo, where she takes up residence happily ever after. Slack's digital mixed-media illustrations are wacky and cartoonish, and the text ripples with big, impressive words befitting the exaggerated nature of Pauline's adventures: "I navigate high altitudes,/an aeronaut with fortitude./Above me burns a blaze of stars,/below the view blurs fast and far." Language-arts teachers will have a field day with this one, and the tone and zany sensibilities of the story and pictures are a perfect match for the funny bones of an early elementary audience.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Pauline Poulet is a frantic little bird with a perilous life that includes escapes from boredom, frying pans, foxes, pirates, and typhoons. The pace of this hen's hyperbolic storytelling is so fast that the text careens past occasional forced rhymes, rhythms, and even reason. The digital mixed-media illustrations ably exaggerate the tall-tale elements of the story. Slack's saturated palette is enhanced by the use of highlights and shadows to emphasize specific visual elements--rolling eyes and mobile mouths express the personalities of the players, from poulet to pirate. Images and text are used together to balance the compositions, and vigorous, emphatic use of line adds energy to each spread. A variety of typefaces and exclamatory text in an assortment of colors and sizes adds to the rollicking humor of Pauline's perils. The lengthy text may slow down some readers, but the art is strong enough to pick them up and carry them along. Janice Del Negro
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harcourt Children's Books; First Edition (May 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0152053069
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0152053062
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10 x 0.39 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Michael Slack

    Michael Slack

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    Michael Slack is an artist, illustrator, and character designer. His humorous, character-driven art can be found in books, magazines and on television. Contemporary art, animation, and modernist design inform his style, but it is humor, playfulness, and a love of quirky characters that are the heart of Michael's illustration. In addition to illustrating and authoring many picture books, Michael has also designed artwork for a variety of children's products and apparel. When he is not working on book projects Michael likes to paint, draw, and make ceramic art figures. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in the U.S. and Europe. He lives in Northern California with his wife, daughter, and a dog named LuLu DeVille.

    See more at www.slackart.com or visit him on instagram at @michael_slackart

    See more on the author's page
  2. Ellen A. Kelley

    Ellen A. Kelley

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
37 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Stucka
5.0 out of 5 stars The best kids' book we've found
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2008
Verified Purchase
We've given copies of "My Life As A Chicken" to at least four children of friends of ours. Our daughter, now 15 months, all but grew up with it.

The rhyming and rhythm are extraordinary, as are the stories the words tell. Then it's matched with incredible artwork, contrast-y and vivid and intriguing enough to draw the interest of any child.

When our girl was 9 months, she'd had the book read to her countless times. Then we took her to a really hot spot, a foreign country where it was well into the 80s in on the evening of Christmas. She was a bit lost, a bit overwhelmed ... and simply reading the book back to her, from memory, was enough to do it.

From memory? The rhythm of the book makes it so easy to memorize and have fun with. It's a great book to read aloud, and you can experiment with timing and emotion: "Hens away! Out the gate I must escape the dinner plate. Through brooding woods I scramble, prickly briared, bristly brambled ..."

So, yes, my girl loves it. And I love reading it to her. If we can find more books even one-tenth as much fun as this, she'll have a lifelong love of reading.
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Hilarie
5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Children's Book of All Time
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2009
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Perhaps no one appreciates an excellent picture book more than a parent who is forced to read it multiple times. That is why this book stands out, because even after countless reads I still find myself smiling right along with my toddler at the antics of this unfortunate poultry. This fabulous picture book details the adventures of Pauline Poulet, a brave chicken, as she struggles to save herself from becoming someone else's main course. The illustrations are beautiful, the writing is clever and catchy. I was very impressed by the authors ability to find just the perfect rhyme. My daughter especially loves to shout out "Pauline, Prevail!" along with the main character. I think this book is destined to become one of my gifts of choice for birthday parties of one or two year olds.
3 people found this helpful
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Tracy
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is so cute!

I like the toughness of the cover and thick paper.

The letters and pictures are using the space appropriately there isn’t anything missing from the one I had originally.

My baby and I enjoy this books so much. The love the author put in this is well scripted and colorful!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars We read to her every day so it seemed a good choice. We were very pleased with all the ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
Public Television in our area reviewed this book every week for a year. My granddaughter was get so excited over the child telling the story. We read to her every day so it seemed a good choice. We were very pleased with all the pictures of the chicken's adventures. A really cute story line.
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Marianne
5.0 out of 5 stars This Mom's Favorite Book (But the Kids Loved It, Too)
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
I buy this book constantly as a gift for new babies. My kids loved it & it was the go-to book whenever I was a guest reader for my sons' schools. The meter of the poetry, advanced language, and darling illustrations make it a classic, but the refrain is what inspires us all - Pauline, prevail!
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BiomedHeals
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017
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My daughter loves this book. I read it to her with a special "chicken voice" and she finds that hilarious.
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metalmelisssa
5.0 out of 5 stars My Boys Love This Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2014
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We can read this book over and over and over. Luckily, it's interesting for me to read and has great graphics, so re-reading it many times isn't annoying at all. Very cute story. :)
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A. Smith
2.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but not great
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2009
I purchased this book after reading such positive reviews but actually ended up returning it. I can see that it may be charming but it's a little frightening at the same time. The chicken is avoiding being killed I just find that a little too violent for my four year old.
One person found this helpful
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