Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Playfulness makes silly sequel as hilarious as original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In INTERRUPTING CHICKEN AND THE ELEPHANT OF SURPRISE, Chicken begs Papa to read to her after school since she wants to look for the "elephant of surprise" her teacher insists is in every story. Though Papa patiently explains that the teacher must've meant "element of surprise," Chicken is not daunted. As Papa makes his way through their storybook, reading "The Ugly Duckling," "Rapunzel," and "The Little Mermaid," Chicken figures out how to insert an elephant in each. Even when Papa decides to tell his own story, one in which there are pointedly no elephants, an elephant manages to appear. Chicken says, "Oh, Papa! I knew there'd be an elephant in the story." Papa replies, "So did I, somehow."
Is It Any Good?
This fun story promotes reading, references classic tales, and depicts a loving dad and daughter, while featuring an exuberantly creative chicken and a silly blue elephant -- what's not to like? Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise is a sequel that's every bit as fun as its original. Kids will love revisiting the familiar classic tales, then seeing how Chicken upends each one by inserting an elephant at a critical juncture. And of course, in each, her elephant of surprise is the element of surprise.
David Ezra Stein's art is detailed and colorful, underscoring the warm family relationship. The happy, book-lined home is complete with comfy reading chair and bright, bloomy upholstery roses. The pages on which Papa reads snippets of fairy tales are muted and affect a classic look. By contrast, the elephant who interrupts those stories is bright blue, and dressed in hilarious costumes. (Gotta love the coconut shells that riff on the the Little Mermaid's seashells.) Readers will be charmed and swept along by Chicken's spirited story doctoring, just as Papa is.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the element of surprise in Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. What do you think the surprise is in this story? Can you think of surprises in other stories?
Can you think of other classic fairy tales that Chicken could put an elephant of surprise in? Which stories? Where would the elephant appear?
Have you ever misheard a word and thought it was a different one? Have you ever mixed up the words of a song? Or something someone told you? Could you write a funny story about it?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : David Ezra Stein
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Book Characters , Fantasy ( Fairy Tales )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick Press
- Publication date : September 11, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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