The Perfect Nest

My family absolutely loves this adorable book. We read it over and over again. We highly recommend it!

Reviewed by Three Silly Chicks - Readers, Writers, and Reviewers of funny books for kids. Oh how we love Spring here in the coop! Everywhere we look we see chicks and eggs! We feel the love. We get especially light-headed whenever we see a new chick-and-egg book, which is why we practically passed out when we saw The Perfect Nest. In this hilarious tale, Jack the Cat, who's hungry for an omelet, decides to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken who would lay the perfect egg. A perfect plan! Things turn out even better than Jack imagined when his cozy nest attracts a chicken, a duck, and a goose, all of whom lay eggs. Jack drools in anticipation. Now he has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in one nest. But the frisky fowl don't want to leave. After lots of failed attempts, Jack is finally able to trick them into leaving by telling them there's an even better nest at the next farm. They fly the coop, leaving their eggs behind. Alone at last, Jack is just about to crack open his glorious eggs when suddenly out pops a baby chick, a baby duck, and a baby goose. All three think the wily feline is their mama and proceed to follow him around the farm, much to Jack's dismay. How can he eat something that calls him mama? He can't, of course, and after a snuggle fest with his new brood he realizes that he has made the perfect nest after all. Tight writing and lively illustrations make this book a chick magnet. We love the idea of pairing it with An Egg is Quiet by Dianne Aston for an absolutely eggcellent storytime. And that's no yolk! (Oh, geez, sorry 'bout that. It couldn't be helped.)

Jack the cat is building the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken who will lay the perfect egg to make a perfect omelet, but before he can achieve his goal, unexpected dinner guests - who have contributed - show up to reap the benefits. A fun story of dinner plans gone awry receives large and zany drawings by John Manders in a pick discriminating libraries will love.

I have read this book two nights in a row (we bought it two days ago) to my 5 and 6 year old children. We all love it. It has everything you want in a children's book: humor, great illustrations, tenderness, a great moral. It is currently our favorite book. I hope the author comes up with another gem like this one very soon!

Reviewing children's picture books is a bit out of my league but this is a wonderful little book. Catherine Friend has turned out some excellent material for children and this is a wonderful example. The artwork by John Manders will intrigue any child and perfectly complements the story. The "stars" of this book are feline and fowl. Jack the cat wants an omelet but knows the egg precedes the omelet, the chicken comes before the egg, and first must be the nest. I'll leave it to the reader to follow the story and see what Jack gets. Along the way you will meet not only the chicken, but also a duck, and a goose. They speak just enough Spanish and French so that the young readers will have to translate a couple of words for their parents. Mom and Dad will be fascinated to learn that language is genetic in fowls. "The Perfect Nest" will make a perfect gift. Gracias, Merci, Thank-ye; Ms. Friend.