A simple comedy of errors takes place when a chicken and an owl find their waking hours at odds.Deep in the woods, there are two houses. Chicken lives in the house with the red roof. No one lives in the house with the blue roof. When Kishira talks red and blue, she means the kind of red and blue paints deployed in elementary school art classes circa 1958: saturated and primary as primary can be. (The houses, true to form, are lemon yellow, and Takabatakes linework is good and wobbly.) When mail starts being delivered to the house with the blue roof, Chicken is stoked: He enjoys living on his own, but sometimes he feels lonely. Since no one answers the door, Chicken leaves a note, which is promptly responded to by Owl, the newcomer. Happy to make new friends, he writes that he will visit the next day. For Chicken, day is day, when the sun is out, but for Owl, day is night, when the moon is out. One is waiting, waiting, waiting; the other wonders if it is too early to drop in. This is the kind of bafflement young readers will gratifyingly pick up right away; they will smugly feel they have the drop on Chicken and Owl.Chicken and Owls solution is ingenious and makes one wonder where the word birdbrain ever came from. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A small-scale domestic mystery drives this understated yet delightful story from Kishira and Takabatake. Ideal for reading aloud, the clipped, direct narrative introduces Chicken, who is comfortable in his daily routine of cooking, reading, napping, and taking walks, "but sometimes he feels lonely." Chicken is thrilled when he sees evidence that someone has moved in next door, but he's unable to glimpse the new neighbor. Colored in a crayon-box palette of red, yellow, green, and blue, Takabatake's simply outlined art mixes large single-page cartoons with sequential panels and spot images that show Chicken pacing, checking and re-checking the house next door, and-after the neighbors successfully exchange notes agreeing to meet up-preparing for their get-together. "It would be so much fun to have a friend," Chicken thinks, imagining himself dancing under the stars with a white blob representing his as-yet-unknown friend. Kishira and Takabatake's story practically vibrates with the excitement and nervousness that accompany new friendships, and the big reveal reminds readers both that not all birds are early birds and that solid friendships can bridge distance and time. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

K-Gr 2-This unassuming story highlights the importance of companionship and being neighborly. Chicken lives quite contentedly deep in the woods in a house with a red roof. Next door, there stands an empty house with a blue roof. One morning, Chicken is delighted to discover that someone has apparently moved into the other house. For several days, he anticipates meeting his new neighbor, but they never cross paths. Finally, he leaves a written invitation on his new neighbor's door. That night while Chicken is sleeping, the mysterious neighbor reveals himself. Owl eagerly writes back to Chicken, and both birds look forward to the upcoming visit, not realizing that they have completely opposite schedules. By chance, as night approaches, each bird steps outside to check on the other and they finally come face to face. The resourceful friends install a chalkboard between the two houses so they can "talk to each other all the time." Reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, the illustrations have a childlike simplicity. Quirky details like the matching clotheslines, spotted curtains, and shared chalkboard mirror the warm and hospitable tone of the story. Children who may be moving to a new home will respond to the underlying moral that neighbors of all sorts can become fast friends. Pair this title with Anika Denise's Bella and Stella Come Home (Philomel, 2010).-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.