Chicken BIG

by

Keith Graves

On a teeny little farm,

in an itty-bitty coop,

a very small hen laid a big, humongous egg.

The egg began to shake.

The egg began to quake.

Out popped a big, humongous chick.

"What is it?" crowed the little rooster.

“It’s big!” clucked the small chicken.

“It’s enormous!” clucked the smaller chicken.

“It’s an elephant!” peeped the smallest chicken.

(She was not the sharpest beak in the flock.)

“He’s too big to stay in our itty-bitty coop,” crowed the little rooster.

“Much, much too big,” clucked the small chicken.

“He’ll break the floor!” clucked the smaller chicken.

Indoor elephants are dangerous! squawked the smallest chicken.

“I don’t feel like an elephant,” thought the big chick.

The next day, an acorn fell and conked the smallest chicken on the head.

“The sky is falling!” she peeped.

“Run for your lives!”

So, the chickens ran for their lives.

“Don’t worry,” said the big, humongous chick. It’s only an acorn. They’re actually quite tasty.”

“I don’t think elephants eat acorns,” said the little rooster.

“I heard they only eat popcorn,” clucked the small chicken.

“Maybe he’s not an elephant,” clucked the smaller chicken.

The smallest chicken looked closely at the big, humongous chick.

“Ah, my mistake,” she peeped.

“A squirrel?” thought the big humongous chick.

Later on, the smallest chicken was pecking for worms when a raindrop splatted on top of her head.

“The sky is leaking!” she peeped. “We’ll all drown! Run for your lives!”

And the chickens ran for their lives again.

“Relax,” said the big, humongous chick.

“It’s only rain. Come stand under my wings and you will stay dry.”

“I’ve never seen a squirrel do that,” crowed the little rooster.

“Not very squirrel-ish at all,” clucked the small chicken.

“Squirrels don’t keep you dry in the rain,” clucked the smaller chicken.

“I see what you’re saying,” peeped the smallest chicken.

“These are not bright chickens,” thought the big chick.

After a while, a chilly wind began to blow.

“Someone has put the world in the refrigerator!” peeped the smallest chicken. “We’re all going to freeze!”

But they didn’t get far.

“Don’t panic,” said the big, humongous chick.

“It is only the north wind. Stand behind me and I will protect you.”

The chickens all felt much better.

“An umbrella would have turned inside out in this wind,” crowed the little rooster.

“He’s not inside out as far as I can tell,” clucked the small chicken.

“I’m all warm and comfy now,” clucked the smaller chicken.

“Only one thing makes me feel this way,” peeped the smallest chicken.

“Plainly, this fellow is…a sweater!"

“This is getting ridiculous,” thought the big, humongous chick.

At naptime, the little chickens returned to the coop and found all their eggs were gone.

“We’ve been robbed!” crowed the little rooster.

“By an egg burglar!” clucked the small chicken.

“Woe is me!” clucked the smaller chicken.

“Woe is me, too!” peeped the smallest chicken.

The chickens all began to boo hoo hoo.

But the big, humongous chick saw a sneaky red fox carrying the eggs into his den a mile away.

With three giant hop-hop-hops, the big, humongous chick caught up to the fox just as he was about to make himself a scrambled egg supper.

“Yikes!” said the fox.

“I don’t think so,” said the big, humongous chick. “But you are a naughty thief!”

The frightened fox ran away with his tail between his legs, having lost all interest in poultry.

In no time, the big chick was stomping back to the coop with the missing eggs.

“Our babies!” cried the happy, little chickens.

“Our hero!” they all clucked.

“I knew it all along!” crowed the little rooster. “He’s no elephant!”

“He’s definitely not a squirrel!” clucked the small chicken.

“He’s surely no umbrella!” clucked the smaller chicken.

“He couldn’t be a sweater!” peeped the smallest chicken.

“Only ONE thing could be so smart, so kind, so warm, and so brave.”

shouted the others. “He’s a

The big, humongous chick was THRILLED to find out that he was a chicken after all.

“Oh thank goodness!” he said. “Now I can move back into the coop!”

“Actually, it’s a rather small coop,” crowed the little rooster.

“It’s itty-bitty,” clucked the small chicken.

“Teensy-weensy,” clucked the smaller chicken.

But we'll make room! peeped the smallest chicken.

Copyright

Copyright © 2010 by Keith Graves

All rights reserved.

eISBN: 978-0-8118-7237-9

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This product conforms to CPSIA 2008

Chronicle Books LLC,

680 Second Street,

San Francisco,

California 94107

www.chroniclekids.com

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Chicken Big

Copyright