Surfer Chick

March 26, 2012
Chick, a long-lashed tan chicken in a green two-piece bathing suit, is determined to make her surfer-star father proud. Peppered with surf lingo, Dempsey’s (Mini Racer) verses occasionally stretch to make their rhymes work; it’s Cole’s (The Kiss Box) expressive acrylic and colored pencil illustrations that give the heroine her irrepressible character and focus the story’s message about determination. The relationship between Chick and her father is sweetly rendered as he teaches her to paddle (“what happened next/ was a foul-tempered battle”) and to stand on her board (“a colossal wipeout”). Cole’s humorous cartoons are particularly good at depicting Surfer Chick’s emotions—a poignant image shows Surfer Chick gathering her courage (“Alone on the sand,/ Chick simply felt chicken”)—and her brave return to the sea results in her inadvertently inventing a new trick. Cole’s inky blue sea, with its dramatic swells, adds to the story’s tension and makes Chick’s victory all the sweeter. Readers faced with trying something new should identify with this heroine—and maybe even start asking parents about surfing lessons. Ages 3–7. Agent: Kendra Marcus, BookStop Literary.

Starred review from April 1, 2012
A most expressive chicken makes a splash in this winning title about learning to surf. Dempsey (Mini Racer, 2011) keeps her groovy, rhyming text tight to create a raplike beat that colorfully describes a young chick's adventures tackling the waves. "Two birds of a feather-- / a chick and her dad-- / lived by the shore / in a radical pad. // A legend in surfing, / Chick's dad ruled the Roost. / Her dream was to learn / every move he produced." Cole chooses a vibrant palette of neon and saturated bright hues that pop against the cerulean blue water found on several spreads. Dad comes off as laid back and oh so cool but offers calm encouragement when Chick has trouble paddling. Children will feel her frustration at learning a new skill and relate to her feeling "[a]lone on the sand, / [she] simply felt chicken. / She rested on shore / till her courage could thicken." Inspired by her dad's "righteous" moves, she heads for the waves and "[chooses] to be brave." The acrylic-paint-and-colored-pencil illustrations humorously capture Chick's every emotion as she battles the water and her fears. But her perseverance pays off, and a "gnarly new legend / has been introduced. // She's fearless and plucky. / She's stoked and she's quick. / She's totally awesome-- / a real Surfer Chick!" A guaranteed "Cowabunga!" (Picture book. 3-6)

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Starred review from May 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 3-A humorous story of a surfer chick coming into her own. Her dad rules the Roost Surf Shop and has radical skills, and now he's agreed to show the chick his best moves. After she wipes out, she must get the courage to try again. This is a sweet, spunky story about perseverance and gaining confidence. Acrylic paint and colored pencil with a hot press watercolor make the sunsets dynamic and bright. The lively art has a cartoon feel; the waves seem iridescent and jump off the pages. Fans of animation will like this style. The playful rhyming text incorporates plenty of surfer slang like "radical," "bummer," and "gnarly." Not only does this youngster learn to surf, but she also invents some moves of her own. Totally awesome!-Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard H.S. Early College, Queens, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
When her surfing-star dad agrees to teach Chick how to ride the waves, she is stoked. She gets off to a rough start with a "colossal wipeout," but copying her dad's moves gives her confidence to hang ten and then some. Incorporating gnarly surfer lingo, the rhyming text is evenly metered and well matched to Cole's humorously expressive colored-pencil and acrylic illustrations of chickens catching the waves.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)