Pip's Trip (review)

The three clueless chicken wonders from The Loopy Coop Hens (BCCB 1/11) have returned, and they're ready for adventure. Or, at least, they think they are, when jumping into the farmer's pickup for a trip is merely a plan, but when it comes to carrying it out, only Pip actually climbs aboard ("'First we have to, um . . . ask Rooster Sam,' says Midge"); a nervous Pip then crouches in the truck bed with eyes squeezed shut when the truck's engine roars into life—only to find, when the sound stops, that her dramatic journey was actually a brief sojourn in a truck that never moved. There's a touch of Stoeke's popular poultry heroine Minerva Louise (A Friend for Minerva Louise, BCCB 1/98) in the goofy hens, but the warm and absurd barnyard friendship also recalls Cazet's legendary cow buddies Minnie and Moo (Minnie and Moo Go to Paris, BCCB 10/99). The chapter-like divisions, big, clear print, and spare, streamlined text with subtle repetitions invite a beginning-reader audience, and youngsters will appreciate the book's open-handed sharing of important information (such as the truck's remaining stationary because it's being worked on by the farmer) through art as well as text. The art emphasizes toylike red and green, with smooth black line and big digital planes of color seemingly resisting nuance and complexity, but Stoeke's a master at eliciting humor from simple visuals. Dot dons a hunting cap for the adventure she never has but retains the headgear nonetheless, and Pip in a panic is, well, a panic, ducking beneath an old blanket and peering fearfully out over the truckbed wall to view her fate. Both readaloud audiences and new readers will be happy to join Pip, Midge, and Dot's friendly flock.