This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else-like a chicken-to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry-your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific.

What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?Īre you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Although there is an important lesson to be learned here, this picture book would’ve benefited from a bit more imagination. The Disney-esque depictions of the likable-enough, though entirely bland characters make both figures and setting seem recycled rather than fresh.

The gang is left feeling silly when they realize the awful monster they’ve imagined is nothing more than an innocuous little mouse. As each one passes the message along to the other, the monster becomes more and more terrifying and makes increasingly more menacing noises-from the “pshh pshh!” Duck initially hears to a cumulative “pshh pshh, grrr, bang bang, wham wham, grrrowl! OOOOOOoooeeeeee!”-until they finally decide to face the beast head on. When Duck hears suspicious noises coming from under her bed, she turns to her trusty forest friends, Pig, Bear, Wolf and Owl, to help investigate what horrid creature must be lurking under her bed. This picture book by veterans Landa and Warnes puts a stale spin on a timeless lesson: There’s no use in making a mountain out of molehill, or, in this case, a monster out of a mouse.

The Great Monster Hunt by Norbert Landa