Perfect for young readers, Sonya Hartnett has written a sweet humorous tale about a curious chicken who comes for a visit and doesn’t want to leave. There is flapping, pooing and egg laying and a whole lot of strutting. Everything you would expect from a chicken.
In other hands this story idea could have turned into
a chaotic, over the top farce with low grade humour (which ultimately equates
to a very limited shelf life) but instead Sonya has created a story with warmth
and connection and a whole lot of personality which kids will adore.
Lucinda Masciullo’s illustrations are just beautiful.
Her soft lines and character design are the perfect accompaniment for this
story. I commend her use of light and shade, as well as the choice to have sections
of her images coloured and sections left as simple line work. Her dreamy colour
pallet is the icing on the cake.
Sometimes when reading a picture book, I find that there
is something not quite right. Something that stops it being a truly magical
experience. The stylistic choices may be off, it may have the wrong
combination of author and illustrator, the illustrations may outshine the words
(very common) or perhaps the creatives are just lacking experience.
When it comes to There’s a Chicken in the House none
of this applies. it is more than obvious that Sonya and Lucinda have honed
their craft for many years and know exactly what they are doing. Their combined
talents have created a…I hate to use the word lovely (ugh) …delicious book that
is perfect for bedtime or story time or anytime really.
I look forward to seeing what this talented duo get up to in the future and I wish we could flood the bookshelves with more books of this quality.
Title: There's a Chicken in the House
Author: Sonya Hartnett
Illustrator: Lucia Masciullo
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication Date: 4 August 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761344497
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture book
