Everyone who knows me well knows that I have a soft spot for chickens, hens, and roosters, so when this book was presented as an option for review, I didn’t hesitate. I love the overall story, the characters, and the illustrations. Written in rhythmic prose, this is a great book for reading aloud with time taken for showing off the colorful characters illustrated.
In the story, I appreciate that Ellie recognizes that her fear of worms is all in her head. I also love that she has a friend, Dani, who doesn’t put her down or minimize the fear, but decides instead to help Ellie overcome it. There’s patience, determination, and loyalty throughout.
The illustrations are child-friendly, bright, emotionally descriptive, and the message of overcoming fear is wonderfully timed in the world we find ourselves in. There are a couple errors I noticed, grammatical and spelling, but I would still recommend this book even if just for the message.
This book is a great option for reading aloud to children at home or in a classroom setting. I would aim for the audience to be in the range of 4 years old to 8 years old. Be sure to keep a look out for more books from this author – Kira Brettschneider has more in the making that I’m sure will be great companions to Ellie the Hen Afraid of Worms.