A newborn chick can't help but break into song. After all, the springtime world is just so beautiful. "The sky is so blue!" he sings. "The sun is yellow! The trees are so green! And I'm a happy fellow." The singing chick barely peeps the last peep of his perky little song when he encounters a lip-smacking fox who swallows the fluffy bird in one gulp. Suddenly, the fox's tummy feels funny and, much to his dismay, a song bursts forth from his throat, "The sky is so blue! The sun is so yellow!..." Why did I say that? he wonders. And on it goes with the fox meeting (and being eaten by) a hungry wolf, who in turn is eaten by a grumpy bear. Each animal finds itself with a song not in its heart but in its belly. Children love this breed of food-chain folly, especially when all the animals tumble out alive and whole. Narrators, too, will adore mimicking the chick's squeaky little song that erupts from each increasingly gruff beast. Illustrator Randy Cecil (Dear Dr. Sillybear and Little Red Cowboy Hat) provides just the right colorful, expressive, and funny-faced artwork to accompany Victoria Stenmark's clever and silly springtime story. (Ages 3 to 6) --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
Cecil's (Dear Dr. Sillybear) delicious artwork redeems a routine story. A singing chick is eaten by a fox, who begins to sing and peep: "The sun is so yellow!... And I'm a happy fellow!" An annoyed wolf eats the fox and is eaten in turn by a bear. Then a freak fall acts as a kind of Heimlich maneuver to dislodge all the swallowed animals. Cecil combines decorative kaleidoscopic scenes of flat, bright petals, round leaves and citrus fruits with a flair for humorous expressions and gestures. The texture of the brushstrokes is just visible in the solid colors of the oil paints. In a lovely symphony of orange, yellow and green, the fox and chick stand in a thicket of sunflowers, surrounded by masses of leaves, like a lush cartoon Gauguin. The book is well worth opening just to dwell in such landscapes. Ages 1-5. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-This tale of a lost chick and his infectious exuberance is colorfully illustrated in oil paint on paper. When an egg hatches on the forest floor, the cheerful creature that emerges begins skipping and singing a joyful song and is almost immediately eaten by a fox. Unable to control his actions, the fox then starts to skip and sing the chick's ditty. He disturbs a wolf; the wolf swallows him, picks up the tune, and collides with a bear. After devouring the wolf, the bear, performing the same song and dance, stumbles and rolls into a tree; he then tosses up the wolf, the fox, and the chick. Stunned, but relieved of their musical routines, the animals help the hatchling find his home and all ends well. The appealing, richly colored paintings in a variety of sizes, shapes, and page placements are the real draw here. Outlined in black, each object is clear and precise, giving the pictures a folk-art look. A satisfying story with charming artwork.Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Inspired by the beauty of the world around him, a newborn chick breaks into joyful song, frolicking through the forest. A chance encounter with a fox, who is honest about his intentions (``Hello, Lunch,'' he says), has dire consequences: he swallows the chick in one gulp. Soon the fox is gamboling through the forest, singing the little chick's song. He is gobbled up by a wolf, who in turn is consumed by a bear, and every one of them is afflicted with the singing malady. A tumble down the hill knocks all the creatures loose from the bear's stomach, and, grateful that they are no longer compelled to sing, they return the warbling chick to his parents. Cecil's illustrations sparkle with humor as every astonished animal is seized by the urge to sing and dance; the deep colors provide a vivid backdrop for the action. This wondrously silly tale will click with the same audience that appreciates any version of ``The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.'' (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
One day, an egg rolls into the forest. It hatches, and out pops a bright yellow chick. The chick is so happy to be alive that he starts singing and doesn't stop, even when a fox swallows him up. But then the fox can't stop singing, so a wolf eats him up. And the wolf can't stop singing, so a bear eats him up. Full of madcap humor that aims straight for a preschooler's funny bone, this is a happily-ever-after story that kids won't be able to stop singing about.



Card catalog description
A newly hatched, happily singing chick is eaten by a fox, who then starts singing before being eaten by a wolf, and so begins a chain of eating and singing for a series of animals.


About the Author
Victoria Stenmark, who died in 1996, was born in the Ukraine but lived the latter part of her life in New Jersey. She wrote this book for her son, Daniel.
Randy Cecil is the illustrator of Little Red Cowboy Hat and Dear Dr. Sillybear. He lives in Houston, Texas.

ANNOTATION

A newly hatched, happily singing chick is eaten by a fox, who then starts singing before being eaten by a wolf, and so begins a chain of eating and singing for a series of animals.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One day, an egg rolls into the forest. It hatches, and out pops a bright yellow chick. The chick is so happy to be alive that he starts singing and doesn't stop, even when a fox swallows him up. But then the fox can't stop singing, so a wolf eats him up. And the wolf can't stop singing, so a bear eats him up. Full of madcap humor that aims straight for a preschooler's funny bone, this is a happily-ever-after story that kids won't be able to stop singing about.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Cecil's (Dear Dr. Sillybear) delicious artwork redeems a routine story. A singing chick is eaten by a fox, who begins to sing and peep: "The sun is so yellow!... And I'm a happy fellow!" An annoyed wolf eats the fox and is eaten in turn by a bear. Then a freak fall acts as a kind of Heimlich maneuver to dislodge all the swallowed animals. Cecil combines decorative kaleidoscopic scenes of flat, bright petals, round leaves and citrus fruits with a flair for humorous expressions and gestures. The texture of the brushstrokes is just visible in the solid colors of the oil paints. In a lovely symphony of orange, yellow and green, the fox and chick stand in a thicket of sunflowers, surrounded by masses of leaves, like a lush cartoon Gauguin. The book is well worth opening just to dwell in such landscapes. Ages 1-5. (Mar.)

School Library Journal

PreS-This tale of a lost chick and his infectious exuberance is colorfully illustrated in oil paint on paper. When an egg hatches on the forest floor, the cheerful creature that emerges begins skipping and singing a joyful song and is almost immediately eaten by a fox. Unable to control his actions, the fox then starts to skip and sing the chick's ditty. He disturbs a wolf; the wolf swallows him, picks up the tune, and collides with a bear. After devouring the wolf, the bear, performing the same song and dance, stumbles and rolls into a tree; he then tosses up the wolf, the fox, and the chick. Stunned, but relieved of their musical routines, the animals help the hatchling find his home and all ends well. The appealing, richly colored paintings in a variety of sizes, shapes, and page placements are the real draw here. Outlined in black, each object is clear and precise, giving the pictures a folk-art look. A satisfying story with charming artwork.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Marilyn Bousquin - The Horn Book Magazine

Whose reality is this, anyway? Children will unabashedly claim it as their own.

Kirkus Reviews

Inspired by the beauty of the world around him, a newborn chick breaks into joyful song, frolicking through the forest. A chance encounter with a fox, who is honest about his intentions ("Hello, Lunch," he says), has dire consequences: he swallows the chick in one gulp. Soon the fox is gamboling through the forest, singing the little chick's song. He is gobbled up by a wolf, who in turn is consumed by a bear, and every one of them is afflicted with the singing malady. A tumble down the hill knocks all the creatures loose from the bear's stomach, and, grateful that they are no longer compelled to sing, they return the warbling chick to his parents. Cecil's illustrations sparkle with humor as every astonished animal is seized by the urge to sing and dance; the deep colors provide a vivid backdrop for the action. This wondrously silly tale will click with the same audience that appreciates any version of "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." (Picture book. 3-6) .