A whole lotta poultry goin' on. ( )

In this bawk-tastic sequel to CHICKEN DANCE, Tammi Sauer and Dan Santat will once again rock your socks off. Marge and Lola have joined Elvis Poultry’s barnyard tour, but stage fright gets the best of them. The story and illustrations mesh beautifully, giving the reader and listener things to look and laugh at on every page. The resolution of Marge and Lola’s problem is both heartwarming and unexpected. I’m not sure I can pick a favorite, but I know that CHICKEN DANCE and BAWK & ROLL will have a special place in both my classroom and my home for years to come. ( )

Elvis the Rooster and his Chickens Marge and Lola are ready to go on the road and hit the big time, except every time they do a show, the Chickens faint! There are some humorous moments throughout the story that play on popular tropes involving Elvis and unrelatedly, chickens. The art work is done in muted tones and in a style that is Vegas, but Vegas of the 1950s and 1960s. Kids will like the book because of the funny moments, but they will identify with the book because it deals with a fairly common fear: being in front of others. This book has some great potential for storytime, especially when the Chickens try to overcome their fears. Aimed at Grades 1 and 2, the text is relatively large and easy to read with a common vocabulary. More complex concepts are pictured, rather than written out like meditation or parachuting. Children who are interested in song and dance or children who struggle with being in front of groups of people, will get a kick out of this book. Recommended. ( )

This sequel worked much better for me than the first book, Chicken Dance. I thought the first one was hilarious and would be great in storytime, but it turned out I wasn't the only one who missed the pop culture references and most of the kids just didn't get it. I think this one will work much better.

Marge and Lola, having won a talent contest in the previous book (recapped in photos on the title page) are off on tour with Elvis Poultry! At their first stop, McDoodle's Barnyard however, Marge and Lola freeze up. They try everything, but nothing works and they flop at barnyard after barnyard. They're about to be sent home when they remember what's most important and know just what they're missing and on their next stop at Dale's Dairy Farm, they moooove the cows - and Elvis Poultry too.

In glorious technicolor with sparkles everywhere they can be put, the chickens faint, flop and finally dazzle their way through this silly romp with a gentle reminder that performers need friends and fans too. Dan Santat's chickens and other barnyard animals are delightfully blocky and exuberant and the design of the book makes all the jokes moooove perfectly.

Verdict: You don't need the previous book to get started on this one and I think it will work well in storytimes. [Update: Yep, this one worked very well in preschool storytimes for both kids and parents]

ISBN: 9781402778377; Published April 2012 by Sterling; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased for the library