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CollectionAges 3–7Picture Books

Interrupting Chicken

A universe by David Ezra Stein

A clever, funny picture-book series about a little red chicken who keeps interrupting stories because she is too excited to stay quiet.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    4
  • Best for

    3–7
  • Status

    Ongoing

At a glance

Primary creator
David Ezra Stein
First book
Interrupting Chicken · 2012
Tone
Funny, Warm, Silly
Overall sensitivity
Low

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

Interrupting Chicken is David Ezra Stein's metafictional picture-book franchise about a little red chicken who cannot help jumping into stories, songs, lessons and cultural moments before they reach their proper ending. The books are funny because Chicken's interruptions are exasperating but affectionate: she loves stories so much that she keeps trying to fix, improve or answer them. Across bedtime stories, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, The Nutcracker and classroom/museum situations, the series is a playful celebration of reading aloud, active listening, imagination and the chaos of a child with too much to say.

A clever, funny picture-book series about a little red chicken who keeps interrupting stories because she is too excited to stay quiet.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Funny
  • Warm
  • Silly

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

What Interrupting Chicken has done

  • Major award winner
  • Bestseller list

Cultural ubiquity

3/ 5

Well-known to people who know the room.

Sensitivity

Low, and collection-wide.

LowCollection-wide

Across the collection

All 4 books.

About the creator

David Ezra Stein.

David Ezra Stein

Both

David Ezra Stein: American author-illustrator behind the Caldecott-Honor Interrupting Chicken series — loose, watercoloury, dialogue-led picture books about bedtime story chaos for ages 3–6.

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