Publishers Weekly Review
| A magazine writer gets lost in the wilds of Rhode Island but finds a story nonetheless--that of Rhode Island Red, a literal bantamweight who hatched from a hen's egg, grew older but never up, who can ``lick a fellow twenty times his size before breakfast and then rassle bears till lunch.'' Red's exploits--putting a pack of crafty foxes in their places; helping a politician deliver ``two chickens in every pot'' without betraying his heritage--provide high adventure and rib-tickling hilarity in the best tall-tale tradition. Manes's narrator--a garrulous farmer who has the journalist's ear and won't let go--possesses a flair for drama, many a colorful turn of phrase and an artful ability to stretch the truth in all directions. This fellow Red thus becomes a worthy heir to Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and, more recently, Sid Fleischman's Josh McBroom. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 4-6 --Manes' fans will cackle over this story of a chick-size hero named Rhode Island Red, a boy born into a chicken family. In the tradition of folk heroes such as Teeny-Tiny and Hop 'o My Thumb, Red is the littler-than-little guy who performs bigger-than-big jobs. The narrative is full of Manes' sometimes weird, sometimes too-obvious humor (you can't win 'em all). Red's neatest joke/accomplishment is to put a chicken in every pot in Providence, RI to win an election. He thinks the job through, gets his chicken kin to go with him, and has them step in every pot brought out in every house in town. In the wacky fantasy line, Manes has a number of titles; this one isn't his strongest, as it's based on punnery taken to the extreme. It almost works. --George Gleason, Department of English, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Gr. 3-6. Move over Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan; a "sixteenth-pint human" named Rhode Island Red is jockeying for folk hero recognition. This egg-sized boy from the smallest state of the Union is not only capable of amazing feats of brain and brawn but also can cock-a-doodle-doo with the best of the roosters. Manes relates how Red, with his select cadre of human and animal friends, outwits hungry foxes, finds his fortune, and falls in love with Posy Terwilliger, the beautiful daughter of the double-dealing mayor. While the text is funny, it is Joyce's deft shaded-pencil art that accentuates and strengthens the humor; subtle nuances of line and perspective adroitly extend the farce. Discerning youngsters may note a discrepancy between the account of Red's human birth and his subsequent appearance under Old Rhody the hen; "there in the middle of the yolk was a little baby boy no bigger than your toenail." But then, this is a tall tale--a very tall tale. --Phillis Wilson |
Horn Book Review
| An original American tall tale has a hero who combines some of the features of Tom Thumb and Paul Bunyan. Rhode Island Red was hatched by a chicken and is, in fact, no larger than an egg, but he can whip anybody or even three of them at once. Mildly amusing, with jolly illustrations of the perky little fellow. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
