Kirkus Reviews

Mary McBlicken is one panicky prairie chicken. While out on the grasslands one day, Mary the prairie chicken hears a terrible rumbling and grumbling. Sure it's a stampede, she runs away lickety-split to warn Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan; they'll know what to do. Along her pell-mell flight, she meets in turn Jeffrey Snog the prairie dog, Beau Grabbit the jackrabbit and June Spark the meadowlark, and Mary succeeds in freaking them all out. Everyone runs until they meet Slim Brody the coyote. He says he knows a shortcut to the ranch. A few quick turns lead to a suspicious-looking tunnel. The friends know something's up, and their squawking attack brings Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan running. The two (horse and Chihuahua) chase away that nasty coyote …and the whole crew discover what the rumbling and grumbling really was: Mary's stomach! It's supper time. Hopkins' prairie take on "Chicken Little" is made storytime perfect by Cole's characteristically hysterical, watercolor-and–colored-pencil cartoons of goggle-eyed critters. It's also a nice twist that Mary and her friends save themselves from the coyote rather than ending up as lunch or requiring outside assistance. The prairie animals (some not mentioned in the text) make this a nice addition to cross-curricular libraries, though it's too bad there is no additional information as a backmatter bonus. Nevertheless, good fun to share in a lap or with a group. (Picture book. 3-7)

ALA Booklist

Mary McBlicken, a prairie chicken, is scratching the ground in search of her breakfast when she hears "a rumbling and a grumbling and a tumbling." Wild-eyed with terror, Mary runs toward the ranch to warn Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan of a stampede. Along the way, she meets Jeffrey Snog, the prairie dog; Beau Grabbit, the jack rabbit; and June Spark, the meadow lark, who all decide to join her. When they encounter Slim Brody the sly coyote, he shows them a "shortcut" to the ranch. The wily coyote's plot is foiled, and the story ends with a good laugh. From the bluebonnets blooming on the title page to the Tex-Mex picnic supper at the story's end, the illustrations give this Chicken-Little makeover a regional look to match the twang of the text. The exaggerated faces and movements of the panicky characters stand out comically against the more realistic background paintings. Hopkins, a storyteller from Texas, uses repeated phrases, internal rhymes, and humor effectively, creating a transplanted folktale that reads well aloud.

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

Hopkins gives this story of miscommunication and false alarm a Southwestern spin, much as she did in The Three Armadillies Tuff and The Horned Toad Prince. The narrative uses internal rhyming and several dropped g-s to create a jaunty cadence, as Mary McBlicken (the eponymous prairie chicken) spreads her panic after she hears -a rumblin- and a grumblin- and a tumblin-.- She dashes -lickety-splickety- to tell each of her animal pals (including Jeffrey Snog the prairie dog, Beau Grabbit the jack rabbit, and June Spark the meadowlark) that a -stampede-s a comin-!- Each responds, -How do you know that this is so?- The repetition invites chiming in from young readers, who will also find plenty to chuckle at in Cole-s (Unspoken) bustling watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil illustrations, which convey the animals- overblown fright with comedic bravado. Things get a bit convoluted as the story reaches its climax, when -Slim Brody the sly coyote- tries to lead the animals astray, but the book remains a lively take on this familiar tale. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Horn Book

In this spin on the classic tale, featherbrained prairie chicken Mary McBlicken hears "a rumbling and a grumbling and a tumbling"; she takes this to mean that "a stampede's a comin'!" and sets out to tell Cowboy Stan. It's an energetic retelling made all the more swift (and funny) by the illustrations of pop-eyed prairie animals in a Mary-induced panic.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 When Mary McBlicken hears "a rumbling and a grumbling and a tumbling," she thinks a stampede is coming. The bison grazing peacefully nearby eye her curiously as she frantically heads toward the ranch to warn Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan. She encounters Jeffrey Snog the prairie dog, Beau Grabbit the jack rabbit, and June Spark the meadowlark, who follow her "lickety-splickety" toward the ranch. Unfortunately, they encounter Slim Brody the sly coyote, whose evil intentions become clear when the shortcut he shows them leads to his den. Red Dog Dan, riding his horse, Cowboy Stan, hears the ruckus and comes to the rescue. With the coyote gone, they realize that what Mary thought was a stampede is just her empty stomach making noises. Cowboy Stan cooks up a satisfying supper that they share as the red sun sets on the prairie. Cartoon characters with large, expressive eyes hurry across a painterly prairie under a wide blue sky with white clouds. The contrast heightens tension, as does the placid spread that shows the friends following the coyote to his den. The simple text with its rhyming words and repeated phrases will appeal to emerging readers. Pair Steven Kellogg's Chicken Little (Morrow, 1987), featuring a city setting, with this prairie version of the folktale for an entertaining storyhour. Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN