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Susan McElroy Montanari
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My Dog's a Chicken Hardcover – Picture Book, February 9, 2016

by Susan McElroy Montanari (Author), Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 40 ratings
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Lula Mae wants a puppy, but times are hard and she’ll just have to make do. Her family has plenty of chickens, so she decides maybe a chicken can be a dog.
 
Pookie, as Lula Mae names her, is an ordinary chicken, but Lula Mae thinks she is very doglike indeed. With a bow in Pookie’s hair, Lula Mae declares her a show dog. When she runs circles around the other chickens, Pookie is a shepherd dog. And when Cousin Tater sneaks up with a snake and Pookie starts bawk, bawk, bawking, well, she’s a guard dog, too. Then Lula Mae’s brother, Baby Berry, wanders away, and who do you think comes to the rescue?
 
Readers will cheer for plucky Lula Mae and giggle over her beloved Pookie, who quite unknowingly saves the day.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD530L
  6. Dimensions
    9.75 x 0.4 x 11.31 inches
  7. Publisher
    Schwartz & Wade
  8. Publication date
    February 9, 2016
  9. ISBN-10
    0385384904
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0385384902
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—Lula Mae desperately wants a dog, but Mama tells her that times are hard and she'll have to "make do." Without missing a beat, the girl decides that one of the many chickens roaming their yard could make a suitable dog—especially the black-and-white speckled hen who struts around like she owns the place. Blithely ignoring her squawks of protest, Lula Mae calls her new pet Pookie, plops a bright red bow atop the hen's head, and declares her a fine show dog. When she sees the other chickens running frantically in the opposite direction from the bow-wearing hen, Lula Mae decides that Pookie's also a terrific shepherd dog. Later, when Cousin Tater tries to scare Lula Mae with a garter snake and Pookie responds with a loud "BAWK! BAWK!" Lula Mae decides that she is a fine guard dog as well. With each declaration, Mama deadpans, "Call it anything you like, but it's not coming in my house." When little Baby Berry suddenly goes missing, it's Pookie who unintentionally saves the day. Wilsdorf's watercolor and China ink illustrations extend the humor of Montanari's text through the characters' comical expressions and some well-placed speech bubbles. Though picture books set in the country featuring traditional nuclear families are in no short supply, it's the irrepressible optimism of Lula Mae, Mama's droll responses, and Papa's befuddled exasperation ("Lula Mae, what are you doing to that chicken!") that set this story apart and make for an ideal read-aloud that will have kids and adults chuckling. Careful readers will spot clues to Baby Berry's whereabouts, and keen observers will enjoy the chicken antics on the endpapers. VERDICT A lively choice for storytimes, and a great addition to most picture book collections.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

About the Author

Susan McElroy Montanari has had many unusual pets over the years. She had a five-foot-long rat snake named Snookums, and her daughters once found a baby alligator in a neighbor's pool. She has spent much of her life on the beach and tidal creeks surrounding Savannah, Georgia. After several years in Norwalk, Connecticut, she has returned to live in Savannah with her husband and a cat named Tybee. This is her first book.
 
Anne Wilsdorf’s cat, Istanbul, likes to watch her paint. Once, when Anne was drawing insects, Istanbul jumped on the paper, trying to catch the bugs as soon as they appeared under her pen. She is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller, which received four starred reviews; Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle; The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli; and Alligator Sue by Sharon Arms Doucet. She lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition (February 9, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385384904
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385384902
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD530L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.75 x 0.4 x 11.31 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

About the author

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Susan McElroy Montanari

Susan McElroy Montanari

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Susan McElroy Montanari spent the majority of her life on the beach and tidal creeks surrounding Savannah, Georgia. While living in Connecticut, Susan was a finalist in two categories for the 2010 Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children's Literature: one for her picture book, My Dog's A Chicken, and the other for her middle-grade novel, The Day Sasquatch Ate My Journal. Schwartz & Wade an imprint of Penguin Random House published My Dog's A Chicken, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf, Who's The Grossest of them All, Goldilocks For Dinner (2019) illustrated by Jake Parker and Hip Hop Lollipop, illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Source Books will be publishing The Holloween Tree illustrated by Theresa Martinez in 2019. Susan's hobbies include gardening, scuba diving, natural science, legend tripping, and cryptozoology. She has three daughters and two sons-in-law. After several productive years in Norwalk, Connecticut she returned home to Savannah, Georgia, where she resides with her husband, Dan.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
40 global ratings
Wonderful kid's book!
5 Stars
Wonderful kid's book!
My 3 year old daughter and I read it then she screamed, "Mommy, read it again!!" The story is great and the pictures are colorful! After the fifth time reading it I told her she HAD to go to bed. Great book!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Shawn
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book.
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
We check this book out from our local library, and when we were reading it, we couldn’t believe how similar the story was to our situation. Two small kids, and we had just purchased chickens for the first time, my wife knew we had to buy this book and add it to our collection.
Cute story and fun pictures.
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BusyMom
5.0 out of 5 stars My kids want a chicken now!
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
Lula Mae wants a dog, but they don’t have money for one. She has to “make do” with a chicken as her dog. And he’s a good one! My kids LOVE this book, especially since I read it with a nice Southern accent! They like seeing all the shenanigans the chicken gets into and repeating Momma’s line “I don’t care what you call it, it ain’t coming in my house.” The back end page also has a crazy path that the chicken has walked. We like to trace the path with little fingers to find the “dog” chicken. Overall, this has become one of our frequently requested reads. The theme of the book is about using what you have which I love! Southern ingenuity at its finest.
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Jennifer Pettigrew
5.0 out of 5 stars Ordering as a gift (again !)
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018
Verified Purchase
I can’t believe I hadn’t reviewed this before! I just got on to order this book for a friend’s child (again)and realized I hadn’t. I have 2 kiddos that love this book. My two year old thinks all chickens are named Pookie because of it. I also love Montanari’s other book “Who’s the Grossest of them All?”
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mamma re
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
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I loved this book and read it three times before gifting it!
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NH
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
What a fun book. I love reading this book to my 3 year old, and she loves listening to it. It has the perfect balance of silliness and story that really keeps my little one engaged. I am definitely a Susan McElroy Montanari fan!
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SOsborn
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute!
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
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This is such a fun book! My kids love it, and so do I.
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Barbara V.
4.0 out of 5 stars Love of Animals .
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021
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For our G. Grandson.
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melissa j herbert
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful kid's book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
My 3 year old daughter and I read it then she screamed, "Mommy, read it again!!" The story is great and the pictures are colorful! After the fifth time reading it I told her she HAD to go to bed. Great book!!
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melissa j herbert
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful kid's book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016
My 3 year old daughter and I read it then she screamed, "Mommy, read it again!!" The story is great and the pictures are colorful! After the fifth time reading it I told her she HAD to go to bed. Great book!!
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One person found this helpful
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