Sonya’s Chickens by Phoebe Wahl (review)

Young Sonya takes good care of the three little chicks her papa brings home to her, and soon she has three fine, egg-laying hens—until a fox steals one away in the night. Sonya is understandably devastated, but, after sympathizing with her, her father gently explains that the fox was only trying to feed his own babies, just as Sonya fed and cared for her chicks. Sonya doesn’t get over her grief immediately, but she ponders what her father has said while she cares for her chickens (and reinforces the coop in which they live), and she finds some catharsis in welcoming a new chick to the coop when one of the hens’ eggs hatches. Wahl’s writing is warm and immediate, and though some words or phrases may need a bit of explanation for younger listeners, the language is mostly straightforward with a hint of lyricism. The book also capably balances sensitivity towards children’s attachments to their animals with honesty about the animal food chain, and Papa’s calmly compassionate defense of the fox is broadening without being didactic. Bold lines of colored pencil are softened with watercolors to create rich backdrops, while collaged elements offer quiet details and texture to the scenes. Rosy-cheeked, biracial Sonya is a sturdy and attractive heroine with her bright clothing and perpetual yellow boots, and the animal characters are equally endearing—even the chicken-stealing fox is hard to dislike when he’s curled around his kits in their den. Pet-loving kids may struggle a bit with the illustration of the fox with a limp hen in its mouth, but the book offers a gentle starting place to encourage kids to consider the bigger picture when looking at predator-prey relationships.