After Scarecrow says he'd gladly trade his hat for a walking stick, Chicken searches out several animals who have something they want to trade. She exchanges three of her feathers for Donkey's blanket, starting a comical chain of swapping that supplies Scarecrow with a walking stick and Chicken with the hat, which becomes a fine new nest. Attractive watercolors accompany this satisfying tale. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-Chicken admires Scarecrow's straw hat, and her eyes light up when he says he would gladly exchange it for a walking stick to rest his arms. She doesn't have a walking stick, but she knows someone who does. Badger will trade his stick for a ribbon to tie his door open. Crow is willing to give up his ribbon for some wool to make a soft nest and so on, until Chicken comes full circle around the farm visiting all the animals and is able to get Scarecrow's straw hat for a nest. Children will enjoy the repetition and refrain. Vibrant watercolors simultaneously depict the natural beauty of a blooming meadow in spring and the fine execution of expressions on the animals' faces and in their body language. Pair this satisfying, funny offering with Pat Hutchins's Rosie's Walk (Macmillan, 1968) for a winning program.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary, Huntsville, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this gentle picture book with an old-fashioned feel, an enterprising chicken pulls off a hat trick of sorts when she finds a way to obtain a chapeau she admires. Chicken would love to have Scarecrow's straw hat for her very own. Scarecrow says he would gladly swap his headdress for a walking stick, something that Chicken does not possess. So Chicken sets out to visit Badger, who does have a walking stick. Trouble is Badger wants to make a trade, too, for something else Chicken can't provideDa ribbon. Chicken calls on an array of animal pals until she at last makes the deal that leads her back to Scarecrow's hat, via a chain reaction of satisfying swaps. British author/illustrator Brown's (Dilly-Dally and the Nine Secrets) story proceeds at a leisurely pace, allowing young readers time to join in Chicken's creative problem-solving. A couple of missteps in logic (a sheep is happy to have a pair of broken glasses; Scarecrow is the only inanimate object to speak) don't mar the easygoing mood. The true standout here, however, is Brown's artworkDhis airy, sun-dappled watercolors evoke a pleasant summer day. Ages 2-6. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A brilliant watercolorist, Brown sets this familiarly patterned tale in sunny, poppy-strewn rural locales, and populates it with animals that are at once wonderfully lifelike and comically expressive. Chicken has her eye on Scarecrow's straw hat, which Scarecrow is willing to trade for a walking stick. Badger has a stick, and is willing to trade that for a ribbon. Crow has a ribbon . . . and so on, until Chicken reaches Donkey, whose yen for a feather flyswatter finally triggers the string of trades. Chicken ends up with the hat—perfect, as it turns out, for a cozy nest—“ 'And I wouldn't swap it for anything!' ” Full-bleed, double-paged spreads tell most of the story, with a set of vignettes in the middle to move the action back along the track. Fans of Brown's hysterical The Wolf Is Coming! (1998), written by Elizabeth MacDonald, will find this a bit more restrained, but with a similarly broad streak of silliness. Great for storytelling, with big beautiful pictures for a topper. (Picture book. 5-7)

Ages 3^-6. Problem solving takes center stage in this story of how a resourceful chicken, every bit as determined as the Little Red Hen, barters for a scarecrow's hat. Scarecrow is willing to swap his hat, which is greatly admired by Chicken, for a walking stick. With that in mind, Chicken is off and running. Badger has a walking stick that he'll trade for a piece of ribbon; Crow has ribbon and wants wool; Sheep has wool and wants glasses. Chicken visits five animals in all (including Owl and Donkey) and is thwarted each time. Even so, she's secure in the knowledge that she knows someone who has just what she needs. The culmination of Chicken's trading is fast and furious, as she brings each animal its chosen object and, finally, gives Scarecrow his walking stick. Realistic watercolors greatly enhance this plucky, humorous tale. --Connie Fletcher