Two great new books: Interrupting Chicken & Spork!

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein stars a little girl chicken, who, as you can guess, is so enthusiastic about the bedtime stories her papa reads her that she can't help chiming in when she shouldn't. No sooner does he launch into a familiar fairytale when chicken butts in with some advice for the characters, leaving them puzzled but enlightened. This fun story winds down to a sweet and pleasing ending.

Stein's illustrations, made of "watercolor, water-soluble crayon, china marker, pen, opaque, white ink and tea," are intentionally childlike. They are bright with color and convey movement and excitement, matching chicken's bubbly personality.

Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault's Spork is a very cute book about the son of a fork and a spoon (not even from the same set! The scandal!) trying to fit in in the world of flatware. Sometimes he tries to be more like a spoon, sometimes he attempts to be fork-like, but neither of those moves are right for him. He is one of a kind, and doesn't know his purpose until...

Arsenault has made Spork so darn cute with his little round head, tiny tines, and rosy cheeks! His tableware neighbors are equally whimsical and charming, and the scene where Spork tries to imagine other unique kitchen utensils is funny, but touching. The artwork is subtly shaded in neutrals with the smallest touches of color, putting the focus on the characters' expressiveness.