Waiting for Chicken Smith

Gr 2–4—Time changes things, no matter how much they feel the same. Chicken Smith is the mysterious third character in this story about a boy and his sister at the beach. Every year, their family rents the same cabin, next door to Chicken's cabin, and the two boys go on all kinds of adventures together. This year, though, there is a cobweb in the window and Chicken's bike is missing from the front porch. The unnamed little boy waits for Chicken for most of the book, holding tightly to a shell he found that looks like a whale: a gift for his friend. He ignores his sister's calls to play in the hopes that Chicken will return. Will the boy ever be able to enjoy his vacations again without his friend? Funky, childlike illustrations adorn this book, pairing well with the melancholy text. One page in particular stands out: the text is woven through the frame of a bicycle instead of being presented traditionally. Though its appearance has similarities to the "Lola and Charlie" series, this book is much heavier in content. Readers will sit with the story long after reading it, and will find themselves returning to it again to try to understand it better.