Cookies for Breakfast

Starred review from July 19, 2010
Stein's earlier books did not foretell an ability to pull off broad comedy, but this father-and-daughter bedtime banter is all the better for being a surprise. A little red chicken, lying in bed in her pajamas, can't help slamming on the brakes when Papa's read-aloud stories get too tense: "Out jumped a little red chicken," she cuts in as Papa reads Hansel and Gretel, "and she said, ‘DON'T GO IN! SHE'S A WITCH!' So Hansel and Gretel didn't. THE END!" Stein's spreads are thickly and energetically worked, the colors intense, and the lighting and shadows dramatic. For Papa's bedtime stories, Stein (Leaves) shifts styles, inking each scene in spindly ink; when the chicken interrupts, she bursts onto the sepia pages in full color. And when, after cutting short three of Papa's stories, she starts in on a tale of her own, Stein switches again to preschooler crayon, as her sleepy father interrupts in his own way. The delivery is Catskill perfect; readers will fall hard for the antics of this hapless pair. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)
G
unner, Football Hero
James E. Ransome
Holiday House, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-2053-7
In the first half of this tale of an aspiring Pee Wee football star, Ransome (What Lincoln Said) has never been funnier or looser. From the very first page, in which the pear-shaped, beak-nosed Gunner strikes the famous Heisman pose and almost pulls it off through sheer force of personality, it's clear this is an unlikely hero worth knowing. But for all of Gunner's charisma, the third-string quarterback can't compensate for the story's saggy second half. Ransome's play by play of the big game, when Gunner finally gets a chance to play, feels almost clinical ("The running backs ran. Gunner passed, the receivers caught, and the offensive slowly moved down the field"). Although there are some stirring images of pigskin glory, especially a game-changing interception, there are also some striking disconnects between text and art. "Everyone on the Malden Tigers side of the field CHEERED!" shouts the narrator when Gunner throws a touchdown-scoring pass; meanwhile the crowd is shown sitting quietly, devoid of emotion. Readers will start out rooting for Gunner, but they may leave before the game is over. Ages 4–8.

August 15, 2021
The titular fowl is back, just in time for breakfast. Readers were first introduced to Stein's character when the irrepressible little red chicken had a hard time settling down at bedtime despite Papa's dogged efforts to calm his offspring with some fairy tales. This latest title takes place in the morning, and a wide-awake Chicken struggles to rouse Papa from bed with appeals for "cookies for breakfast." He resists this blandishment but acquiesces to a request for a snuggly reading of nursery rhymes--which Chicken, of course, interrupts. Repeatedly. The improvised, inserted rhymes persist in their advocacy of cookies for breakfast, and the series' trademark metafictive play of books within a book depicts familiar Mother Goose characters startled by Chicken's intrusion (with cookies) into their rhymes. "There was an old woman / who lived in a shoe. / She had so many -- // 'Cookies, she gave me a few!' " yells Chicken, jumping in through the window and startling the old woman, who's just taken a sheet of cookies out of the oven. On the next page they sit down to a cozy snack of tea and cookies. Papa and Chicken's scenes are done in rich, full color, while the nursery-rhyme pages are done as bleached-out cartoons. A culminating rhyme of Chicken's own devising fails to convince Papa of the merits of cookies for breakfast, but he has another treat in store for his little chick: pancakes. A sweet and silly read for any time of day. (Picture book. 3-7)

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October 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 3 It's Saturday morning in the chicken household, when Papa is abruptly awakened by his little red chick, who announces the arrival of breakfast in bed. That sounds promising, but upon learning that cookies are the only food offered, Papa makes it clear that cookies are suitable for dessert or for snacks, but not for breakfast. Still, he does agree to read a book of nursery rhymes. Strangely, several of the seemingly familiar verses have nontraditional endings, as in "Jack be nimble, / Jack be quick, / Jack--brought me some cookies / When I was sick." Papa remains adamant on the cookies-for-breakfast issue, but suddenly hungry, he decides to top the red chick's idea by making cakes for breakfast: pancakes! Pages of the nursery rhyme book are illustrated in delicate hues, contrasting strongly with the richly colorful main illustrations. Full of childlike humor, the second sequel to the Caldecott Honor Book Interrupting Chicken (2010) will please children with its strong characters, their conflicting viewpoints, and their mutual affection. A satisfying choice for reading aloud.

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Starred review from October 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 1-The small red chicken (first spied in Interrupting Chicken) who stars in Stein's book so closely mirrors the behavior of preschoolers that it will be hard for listeners not to nod along in recognition. Papa is awakened early by his young charge, who snuggles in with a book of nursery rhymes and makes the case for the cookies for breakfast in bed. Thus, "C is for cookies," as in Vitamin C, and "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack-" breaks off to the interrupting chicken's version: "Brought me some cookies when I was sick!" Papa patiently debates, despite exhaustion, why they cannot have cookies for breakfast, or for lunch, but Chicken is adamant and, through drawings and wordplay, gets his way-with pancakes. It's all but impossible to resist these arguments, and story hours may need to include cookies for hungry participants. Comedic timing, characters' faces, and Chicken's persistence are a master class in interruption; Stein doesn't miss a beat. VERDICT Logic-defying retorts aside, this essential addition is a snug and hilarious version of quality time and the worthiness of a good argument.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

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