THE CHICKEN-CHASING QUEEN OF LAMAR COUNTY

Sisi Johnson is a storyteller for a storyteller's story. Her ever-changing voice and cadence underscore the vivacity of this book’s narrator, an African-American girl who enthusiastically chases her Big Mama's fowl around the farmyard. As the heroine schemes to catch Miss Hen, Johnson stretches out each word of the story. Her voice crescendos and then goes silent as the narrator approaches her prize. Delight is evident in the sounds of repeated words—“worms,” “cornbread,” and “eggs.” As Big Mama says, "Good things come to those who wait." Good things are in store, as well, for the listener who seeks out the printed version, with illustrations by Shelley Jackson. A.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]