Starla Jean (Starla Jean #1)

This series starter features Starla Jean's exuberant first-person narration, liberally punctuated with dialogue with her family and neighbors. Readers transitioning to early chapter books will appreciate the four short chapters and the limited amount of text per page, wide margins, and ample space between lines of text. Mercy Watson fans will flock to this whimsical new series for developing readers.

Cycling with her father--on a double bike that's a fun touch--determined, curious Starla Jean encounters "the skinniest, ugliest chicken" she's ever seen. Struck by a desire to bring it home, she decides to meet her father's unthinking challenge of "if you can catch it, you can keep it," and succeeds. Disappointingly, readers never see exactly how she accomplishes this, but the ensuing events in Arnold's (An Ordinary Day) four-part chapter book series opener entertain. Among them, the chicken gains the name Opal Egg, teaches baby sister Willa her first word, and is given a diaper in an attempt at house training. Color illustrations by Kang (My Big Bad Monster) emphasize Starla Jean's impish nature while evoking a slightly conventional ambiance for the white family. The girl has a face that's all blue eyes; when she's resolute, the tip of her tongue pokes out of her expressive mouth. Generous white space keeps the momentum rising as running text--a single thought, or sometimes even one word, including the chicken's initial squawk--stretches across spreads. A smattering of "Fun Facts About Chickens" creates a humorously informative closing. Ages 4-7. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator's agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Jan.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.