Order Here | Chronicle Books 2021 | Written by Jarrett Dapier

Junior Library Guild Book, NPR Best of the Year, Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids of 2021, BookPage’s Best Picture Books of 2021, Fuse 8 Best Funny Books of 2021, Bookstagram’s Best Read Alouds of 2021, ALA’s 2023 Rainbow Booklist

With rollicking rhythms, nonsensical refrains, and too many chickens to count, this modern classic will inspire unstoppable giggles and endless rereads. Bawka-bawka! Mr. Watson loves his chickens - he starts with 3, then before he knows it, he has 456 chickens in the sink, on the bed, in the bread box. Mr. Watson and his partner, Mr. Nelson (who is Japanese-American) just might have a giant chicken problem - what are they going to do?

⭐Starred PW Review “Animals creating mayhem deliver rousing readalouds, and Dapier (Jazz for Lunch!) and Tsurumi (I’m on It!) here drive this story element to its riotous extreme. Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson share a lime green “big, honking house with a teeny tiny yard in a big, honking city.” Mr. Watson, who reads as white, keeps animals, and East Asian–appearing Mr. Nelson does the cooking. But when Mr. Watson’s trio of chickens somehow rockets to 456, the flock takes over the household. Tsurumi conveys the chaos with several densely populated spreads featuring hundreds of chickens rehearsing dance routines, playing dress-up, and swinging from the chandeliers; meticulous draftsmanship makes the wonderfully frenetic activity both clear and absorbing. When red hen Aunt Agnes’s incessantly repeated song (“Shooby-doo,/ wonky-pow,/ bawka-bawka/ in da chow-chow”) starts to get under Mr. Nelson’s skin, Mr. Watson is oblivious. Behind the lively comedy, there’s a romantic relationship in trouble, until a tender embrace reveals that “Mr. Watson loved his chickens, but he loved Mr. Nelson more.” Subtle background portraits of Tove Jansson as well as Frog and Toad gently hint at the history of queer creators in children’s literature, while the carousing chickens draw most of the attention—and all of the laughs.”-Publishers Weekly

⭐Starred BookPage Review “Dapier’s prose is full of tenderness and spunk. When Mr. Nelson tells Mr. Watson he might leave, Dapier writes that Mr. Watson knows “his heart would be a broken egg” without Mr. Nelson. Depictions of gay couples are still uncommon in children’s literature, particularly in picture books, so the depiction of Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson’s lovingly quirky and (mostly) harmonious relationship is commendable, as is the inclusion of a cheesemonger at the fair who is referred to by a nonbinary pronoun. Tsurumi’s illustrations playfully extend the story. At the county fair, all chickens but one (Aunt Agnes, of course) are accounted for. The page turn reveals a Where’s Waldo?-esque spread of the fair from an aerial perspective. But good luck spotting Aunt Agnes, as Tsurumi fills the spread with decoy chickens—chicken-shaped balloons, an information kiosk topped with a giant chicken, a person in a chicken costume handing out flyers, even a sand chicken in the sandbox. Choices like these make Mr Watson’s Chickens an enjoyable and exuberant read. This is one of the year’s most entertaining and bighearted picture books. You might even say it’s in fine feather.”-BookPage

“Animal lovers and empty nesters will appreciate the delightful antics within this story. Short, accessible text makes this book enjoyable for young readers, especially as a lap read. Comical illustrations, including cross-sections to show the chaos inside the home, depict the many hundreds of chickens playing instruments and causing all manner of ruckus. Mr. Watson, who is white with brown hair, and Mr. Nelson, who has black hair and presents as Asian, are a couple, interacting in loving ways even when the chickens overstep their bounds and make life difficult for them. Light, pastel shades are used throughout the story, and one picture in particular is reminiscent of Where’s Waldo, inviting readers to look more closely to find the missing element. Readers who are patient enough to examine the illustrations carefully will be rewarded with surprising and humorous moments outside the primary narrative. VERDICT This book suits early elementary school-aged readers and is an inclusive and humorous look at what happens when life becomes overwhelming and requires a reset.”-School Library Journal

“Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson have a big house with a teeny-tiny yard in a big honking city. They also have pets, including a sensible number of chickens. Soon, however, the egg-laying begins, and 3 chickens become 456. And they are everywhere—in the shower, on the breakfast table, inside a pair of boots—and worst of all: they sing. Finally, the men take the noisy chickens to sell at the county fair, but soon calamity strikes and the chickens run amok—until a perfect solution arises. This silly story is fun with nice moments of repetitive and interactive text, but by far the best part about the book is the omnipresence of thoughtful and intentional diverse representation. Mr. Nelson and Mr. Watson are a biracial gay couple with a loving and supportive partnership, and there is a broadly multiethnic supporting cast; but if you squint even further, there is additional detailed layering of diversity in body type, age, mobility, and gender throughout the book, serving as a subtle but constant stream of acceptance and representation.” — Becca Worthington Booklist

“Chicken-loving lapsitters … will find much to look at.”- Kirkus

“This is such a fun and silly book, and I especially love Andrea Tsurumi’s illustrative style that reminds me of the illustrators I loved as a child. Mr. Watson starts out with three chickens, but pretty soon they multiply until chickens are everywhere! Mr. Nelson finally puts his foot down – the chickens are a problem! – but what should Mr. Watson do? My favorite page spread is a cross-section of the house – so fun!”-Book Riot

“Illustrator Andrea Tsurumi brings her own considerable skill to bear, with illustrations of more than 400 chickens across the pages, flapping, juggling, swimming, somersaulting, and even playing maracas. Some pages are chaotically full of fowl and will keep kids (and adults) coming back to find new things in them. Other pages zoom in on Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson, lovingly showing their bond. It’s a good story by any measure, and even better because, as the publisher notes in the book blurb, “This book features a gay couple at its center, but doesn’t call specific attention to it. It simply portrays a healthy relationship between two men (and their chickens!).” We need more of this sort of thing. Despite not calling attention to it, though, there’s actually a lot of queer content here …”-Mombian

“It’s really refreshing to see incidental LGBTQ representation in a funny story, and a story that isn’t about being queer.”- The Tiny Activists

“Positive incidental Queer representation in a book about too many chickens!?! YES PLEASE. … All the while you giggle about singing chickens and chickens in the cheese, you are reading a book that has strong LGTBQIA+ representation happening visibly and without challenge.”-InclusiveStorytime

“This is a book readers can go through several times and still see something new each time. The epic, cinematic double page spread featuring a cross-section of the house with rooms packed with those delightful cluckers is especially amazing. And yet the skillful art direction makes things surprisingly easy to follow.”-Mr. Brian’s Picture Book Picks

“It’s a delightful book and the art style is really intriguing. A bright clean palette and minimal texture lays the stage for an explosion of contour line drawings that really play with movement, and organic shapes. How much personality can one put into the shape of a chicken’s wing? Well, Tsurumi has tested those boundaries and the final effect is quirky and full of feeling.”-Bookstagram