Sally’s teacher, Mrs. Henshaw, hands out eggs, with instructions to observe the little baby chicks when they hatch. But when the eggs start to crack, Sally and her entire class are in for a surprise! Sally’s “chick” is green and scaly with big yellow eyes–very different from the fluffy yellow chicks the rest of her friends are playing with. When Sally draws a picture of her new pet, it is twice as long as the others. When the other chicks learn to peck for seeds, Argus chews a giant crater into the playground. When the students mark their chicks’ growth, Sally has to use a stepladder. She’s just about fed up with her very “different” chick, when Argus vanishes! Sally waits to feel relieved, but all she feels is sad. Together, she and her classmates band together and scour the area for Argus. When they find him digging up a neighbor’s front yard, Sally realizes that different isn’t a bad thing–it’s the thing that makes Argus special!
Michelle Knudsen (author of Hooray for Books favorite Library Lion) delivers again with this delightful tale of unlikely friendship! Andrea Wesson’s watercolor illustrations are whimsical and playful, bringing Argus’ hairbrained antics brilliantly to life. This is the perfect storytime book to share with young readers!
Argus by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Andrea Wesson. Ages 3-6. Candlewick Press. $15.99
