Kids Graphic Novel Review: Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

Posted on December 16, 2021 at 6:41 am by Gene Ambaum

Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021. 9781534469884. 116pp.

Everything irritates the cranking chicken, including Speedy (a worm) when they first meet. Speedy likes Cranky because it saved him from an evil leaf. The thought of that makes Cranky feel happy, even if it’s temporary. Speedy is determined that they’ll become BFFs (Best Feathered Friends).

This is a good natured graphic novel that has three shorty, friendly adventures, and it’s an obvious read-alike for Andy Runton’s Owly books. There are than a few book-related jokes, and Battersby’s drawings look like they might have been done in crayon — they’re as delightful as those in her picture book Perfect Pigeons, which I also really enjoyed. (She has a tutorial on drawing birds (as well as others) on her website at http://katherinebattersby.com/kat-bat-draws )