Horn Book Review
Self-help gets the Sandra Boynton treatment with energetic antics, deadpan humor, and ear-pleasing rhyme. "Have you been feeling kind of low? / A little lost? / A little slow?" A well-meaning, loud-squawking chicken acts as a personal pep squad to Boynton's familiar menagerie. "THERE'S SURELY NOTHING MORE FANTASTIC THAN SOMEONE WHO'S ENTHUSIASTIC!" the shouty narrator insists, proceeding to cheer on a roller-skating pig, ballet-dancing hippos, and others. But some activities -- taking a nap, for instance -- are best accomplished without a cheering section ("You. Woke. Me. Up!"), and the tale takes a turn as the chicken suffers an identity crisis: "Oh no!!! I made a mistake!!! I'm no good at this!!!" A mouse friend provides reassurance about mistake-making and own-bucket-filling through rest, self-care, and positive self-talk. The words of wisdom are at an appropriately preschool-ish level but can be taken to heart by anyone. Lest the message come across as heavy-handed, the endpapers close (as they opened) with the chicken's extremely loud and boisterous cries of "WOO HOO!" Elissa GershowitzMarch/April 2023 p.42 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
What's better than a cheerleading chicken? Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you're doing great even when you're not so confident, as when you're learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud "WOO HOO!" that'll keep you going and remove any doubt you're super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn't do what it set out to do? Don't worry--your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else--like a chicken--to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily "WOO HOO!" to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton's signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book's important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.) WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
