Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A charmer of a chicken has a big adventure in this import from Australia. Peggy is a hen contented with her life in a sweet, small (hen)house that occupies the sunflower-bedecked yard of a suburban home. Understated text reveals her daily routine of breakfast, play in the backyard and pigeon watching, and accompanying ink-and–photo-collage illustrations humorously depict her eating from a bowl, jumping on a trampoline and gazing at pigeons. The little hen meets a challenge when a gust of wind sends her sailing off the trampoline, out of the safety of her yard and into a bustling city. A stunning wordless spread that doubles as cover art then shows her walking amid a crowd of pedestrians, umbrellas aloft. "Peggy watched, hopped, jumped, twirled, and tasted," and droll art expands on these simple verbs with delightful vignettes. In keeping with the classic home-away-home plot arc, Peggy grows homesick and hopefully follows a city dweller carrying sunflowers like those from her yard. Forlorn when this plan fails, she is heartened by the appearance of pigeons who helpfully shepherd her home. In a pitch-perfect resolution, Peggy resumes her routine, but instead of just watching the pigeons, she now chats with them, and the final page turn assures readers that she sometimes catches "the train to the city." Here's hoping that Peggy has many more big adventures. (Picture book. 3-7)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

PreS-Gr 1 Peggy the hen likes her routine. When a windstorm blows her out of her decorative suburban chicken coop, she has to adjust to the unfamiliar sights and sounds of a busy city. She tries on shoes, eats popcorn at the movie theater, and makes a cozy nest in a furniture store. Although she isn't able to communicate with anyone in the crowds, Peggy eventually finds her way back home by following the trail of a bouquet of sunflowers and, later, a flock of pigeons. Walker's ink and photo collage illustrations are dreamlike in appearance. Admirers of Janet Morgan Stoeke's "Minerva Louise" books (Dutton) will relish the chance to meet another charming chicken.— Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

After a gust of wind transports her to the big city, suburban chicken Peggy explores her new surroundings. Walker's ink and photo-collage art is full of clever details that add levity to the story. The subtle color palette remains constant, regardless of Peggy's surroundings, exuding a calm throughout that is emulated by the varied illustration formats, the text, and Peggy herself.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A charmer of a chicken has a big adventure in this import from Australia. Peggy is a hen contented with her life in a sweet, small (hen)house that occupies the sunflower-bedecked yard of a suburban home. Understated text reveals her daily routine of breakfast, play in the backyard and pigeon watching, and accompanying ink-and–photo-collage illustrations humorously depict her eating from a bowl, jumping on a trampoline and gazing at pigeons. The little hen meets a challenge when a gust of wind sends her sailing off the trampoline, out of the safety of her yard and into a bustling city. A stunning wordless spread that doubles as cover art then shows her walking amid a crowd of pedestrians, umbrellas aloft. "Peggy watched, hopped, jumped, twirled, and tasted," and droll art expands on these simple verbs with delightful vignettes. In keeping with the classic home-away-home plot arc, Peggy grows homesick and hopefully follows a city dweller carrying sunflowers like those from her yard. Forlorn when this plan fails, she is heartened by the appearance of pigeons who helpfully shepherd her home. In a pitch-perfect resolution, Peggy resumes her routine, but instead of just watching the pigeons, she now chats with them, and the final page turn assures readers that she sometimes catches "the train to the city." Here's hoping that Peggy has many more big adventures. (Picture book. 3-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

When a gust of wind sweeps a coal-black chicken named Peggy away from her quiet and predictable suburban life and into the city, she rapidly adjusts to her new surroundings: "Peggy landed with a soft thud. She was far from home. She picked herself up, ruffled her feathers, and went for a walk. Peggy saw things she had never seen before." Walker creates a gorgeous, rain-washed cityscape, inhabited by anonymous figures in muted colors and photo-collaged images of passing buildings; the lone chicken, walking confidently within the crowd, receives only casual attention. Humorous spot illustrations show Peggy's many urban sojourns, including getting sprayed by a water fountain, catching a movie, eating pasta, and inspecting a pair of polka-dot underwear at a "Bargain Sale." A familiar sight helps her find her way back to her own yard. Originally published in Australia, Walker's story speaks to the ways traveling can change a person (or a chicken) and expand one's worldview, particularly when one has a home to come back to. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)