( 8 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 15 2009
ISBN 059046244x - It's great to find an author like Patricia Polacco, who consistently writes fantastic books for children and who draws them from her own life. While I stumble across one of these books from a random author every now and then, Polacco is one of the few certainties. Patricia's friendship with her neighbors, Stewart and Winston Washington, gives her much more than just a couple of pals. Through them, she's exposed to ethnic differences (they're black, she's not) and a religion other than her own and the friendship also fills a void in her life since her babushka's death two summers earlier, by bringing into her life the boys' gramma, Miss Eula. As the group returns from church, Miss Eula stops to sigh over a hat in Mr Kodinski's store window. Determined to get it for her, Patricia and the boys approach the store owner at a bad time and find themselves accused of throwing eggs at his store. The children need to explain and win him over or they'll never be able to get the hat for Miss Eula. Patricia and her mother teach the boys how to decorate Pyansky eggs (Ukrainian Easter Eggs) which they give to Mr Kodinski. Touched by the gesture and the reminder of his homeland, he shares his life story and finds a way for the children to earn the money - but gives them the hat for free. There is so much, as an adult, to love about this book. It is not likely a simple accident that eggs are both the weapon used against Mr Kodinski and the thing that heals the rift between him and the kids. The anti-Semitism in the book is sandwiched between more positive feelings between people. First, there's the loving relationship between Patricia and the Washingtons and, at the end, the friendship between the children and Mr Kodinski. In between, there is Mr Kodinski and the vandalism to his store. Most children aren't likely to know that Mr Kodinski is Jewish (unless they recognize the word "chutzpah"), and the number on his forearm is subtle in relation to the images it's in. That leaves a wonderful opening as a conversation starter. Patricia's love for Miss Eula and her family is evident throughout the book, especially in the repetition of the line "a voice that sounds like slow thunder and sweet rain" to describe Miss Eula's singing voice. While the illustrations are nice, they're not spectacular, but they have spectacular touches. Scattered on surfaces throughout the Washington home are picture frames. The photos inside those picture frames are real photos, ones that I assume came from "a dear old yearbook with photos of the Washington family" mentioned on the copyright/dedication page, as well as the author's personal collection. The Orthodox saints' images on the walls and the samovar in front of them in Patricia's living room, the darker rooms and plain wooden table are all in contrast to the praying hands, the bible, the flowery tablecloth and colorful china of the Washingtons and both are drastically different from the plain, somberly dressed Mr Kodinski, sitting among his bright, frilly hats and hatboxes. This is not a book to buy and hand to your child. The target audience is 4 to 8 year olds and leaving them alone with the book... seems criminally negligent! Chicken Sunday offers parents a wonderful opportunity for the discussion of everything from black and white relations to the Holocaust, from religion to simpler lessons like love, from the definition of family to the importance of traditions. Those are the conversations that raise better people, so sit down and read this one, talk about this one, take the opportunity it offers - and raise some better people. By the way, if you're interested in more on the eggs Patricia's babushka made, check out Rechenka's Eggs (Paperstar). - AnnaLovesBooks
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Posted: Nov 16 2008
I loved this book. I read it to my students. They connected with Gramma Eula an d her fried chicken. Now they want me to read more of Patricia Polacco's books.
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Posted: Aug 3 2008
It's a common enough story for picture books. Kids band together, learn something new, and accomplish a common, feel-good goal. And yet, it totally works in this book. It's not heavy handed. It's not overdone. It does have religious aspects (great for Christians, I'd think), but they're not so heavily stated that atheists and agnostics can't get in on it. I really recommend this one. I will note that it's a wordy book, and it does deal with some tough concepts, such as Miss Eula's eventual death. Better for the older end of the 4-8 group, I should think.
