Chicken Sunday

CHICKEN SUNDAY is another one of my favorite Polacco books. This is a fabulous and emotionally touching story of an interracial friendship and the children's journey of love and service. Young Patricia (who has written another great episode about her rich and colorful life) and her two best friends Stewart and Winston (who happen to be black) want to buy the boy's gramma (Eula Mae) a hat that she has wanted but could not afford to buy. Since the death of her beloved babushka, Eula Mae also serves as Patricia's surrogate grandmother. The children witness an act of racism on the hat shop owned by the Holocaust survivor Mr. Kodinski. They were going to ask Kodinski for a job to raise the money to buy Eula Mae her favorite hat. Mr. Kodinski sees the children and assumes that they are responsible for the act of violence. Ultimately, the children redeem themselves by making Pysanky eggs for Mr. Kodinski to sell in his store. He tells them the story of his life and then gives the trio the hat. Naturally Eula Mae is thrilled. CHICKEN SUNDAY is named after the chicken dinner that Eula Mae feed the children every Sunday after Church. This is another multi-cultural book teaching children that it is okay to have friendships with people who are different. Incidentally, Patricia remains close to these boys to this very day. It also exposes children to different types of racism. This book has a wonderful lesson for children and adults.

Poignancy, humour, and detail are hallmarks of Polacco's books...and Chicken Sunday shines in all of these. Our girls (5 & 7)loved it so much that they asked for it to be read again as soon as we got to the end. All the telling things of a child's world, including being unfairly accused, secret hidey holes, and longing to show an adult how much they love them, are there. In addition there is a wonderful richness to the language, with images such as "a voice like deep thunder and slow rain".

This author writes stories that really relate to the problems children face in today's society. She has the ability to write in a manner in which the reader feels he or she is being directly talked to at that given moment. A reader can also dig deep within his or her self to find thoughts and memories of happenings. in their lives that directly relate to the events and thoughts of her stories.This book is about the diversity in the upbringing of children. One must believe that children are still being raised to know right from wrong. Throughout the story the children are being guided by a significant other that has very strong morals and beliefs. The children in turn have held those morals and beliefs to be their backbone in life. The children are kind, caring, helpful, and polite individuals because of their upbringing. They stand up for what they believe is right. All children should have the right to voice their opinion in a positive manner. All people have the right to be heard.This book can be used in so many ways to teach a variety of lessons. The lessons could be about childhood memories, historical events, family life, customs, places, and different types of people. The strongest lesson to be taught could be on the six pillars of good character. A variety of different uses could be developed in regards to this book.Children need guidance on how to do something and in what manner it should be done. Teachers and students need to be good role models for one another. This book stresses the importance of being a good person and why.

I am a big fan of Patricia Polacco, she's one of my favorite children's author/illustrators. This book lives up to my expectations: Warm, big-hearted pictures seem to burst from its pages--the images fill your heart and mind like old memories brought vividly to life. Ms. Polacco also places real photographs of real neighbors (in Oakland, California) amidst her soft, rolling illustrations, adding the intimacy of a scrapbook to this tale of interracial/intergenerational friendship and love.After two boys are mistakenly accused by Mr. Kodinsky's shop (Mr. Kodinsky is a Holocaust survivor, look for the faded blue number on his left arm) their grandmother and mother help them make beautifully decorated eggs to show Mr. Kodinsky that they really are good boys. The ensueing bonds of friendship and treasured memories make for a wonderful family reading experience, especially for children attuned (or who need some exposure) to warmth and the joy of giving.

As usual Patricia Polacco hits the mark with the lively characters and dialogue. The children are not depicted as sugary sweet, but as real life children. The grandmother is one that probably anyone over 40 remembers as their grandmother. It brings back memories of wanting something and sacrificing for it. In the world today that lesson can sometimes fall on deaf ears. The illustrations are the usual high standard that is evident in of all Polacco's books. A must read for families that remember the good old days and would like to have this generation remember them also