Review by Booklist Review
Sadia is good at spelling, Fatima is the best at braiding hair, and Bilal can herd a bull, but no one is better at catching chickens than Lami. Living in a small African village compound, perhaps in the author's home country of Nigeria, Lami is cheerfully energetic, always ready to take off chasing a chicken, with beaded hair bouncing happily. The text is lively and snappy, full of well-chosen verbs and adverbs punctuated with smooth alliteration. The mixed-media illustrations portray sunny scenes of family life. Scattered throughout are lots of chickens! No mention is made of why Lami might need a chicken (no killing or eating), but the pursuit is entertaining. Lami runs into trouble one day when her quest takes her high up in a baobab tree. Falling and spraining her ankle could have slowed Lami down, but her grandmother reminds her that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Always persistent, Lami comes up with a new approach: leave a trail of corn and get the chicken to come to her.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Baby Goes to Market team Atinuke and Brooksbank tell the story of Lami, a West African girl with beaded braids, bright green sandals, and a talent for catching chickens. Her sister Sadia may be a better speller, her brother Bilal may be braver with bulls, but Lami is the champion chicken catcher. She's famed throughout her compound, and family members and friends cheer her on. Brooksbank draws the community from above: a fence surrounds the dwellings and outbuildings where adults and children work and play, drying laundry hangs like banners, and huge trees offer shade. Suspense builds as Lami pursues a black-and-white hen around the compound and up an enormous baobab; "Sannu!" her elders tell her, "SLOW DOWN!" When she takes a tumble, it turns out that Lami can catch chickens even after she's sprained her ankle. The story stars a strong girl of color and offers a look at life in a close-knit community, a setting in which every gift contributes to the whole. Ages 2--5. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Lami is the best chicken catcher in her village. One day in her haste and bravery, Lami chases a chicken right up a baobab tree, but loses her footing and falls, spraining her ankle. With advice from her grandmother to use quick thinking rather than quick chasing, Lami remains the best chicken catcher in the village. Set in a beautiful Nigerian village, this tale highlights the ingenuity of children in a humorous and lively manner. Many valuable lessons are embedded into the narrative, and readers will be inspired by Lami's resilience. The illustrations, created with mixed media, are cheerfully colorful and alluring in their detail. VERDICT Children will enjoy this lively tale of positivity and innovation.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal Sch., Middleton, DE
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Review by Horn Book Review
Young Lami, who lives in a bustling multifamily compound, is known as the best chicken catcher in the village. Spare, rhythmic prose full of repetition and alliteration details her skills (Lami leans! Lami lunges! Lami leaps!) and others encouragement of her (Catch that chicken!). When one speedy creature evades her grasp, it leads to a humorously disruptive chase -- through a bulls pen, around a clothesline, and past a group of schoolchildren -- and Lami ends up injuring her ankle. Temporarily sidelined, she listens to Nana Nadia, who tells her that catching chickens is about smarts, not speed -- and shes able to accomplish her goal, injury and all. Humorous and colorful mixed-media illustrations depict a tightknit community, with entertaining details about how Lamis poultry obsession plays out in daily life; even while getting her hair braided, for example, she lunges for a chicken passing by. A thoughtful mix of double-page spreads, single pages, and occasional panel-style illustrations allows for quicker or slower pacing throughout. Lively chase scenes and funny poultry antics make for a laugh-out-loud adventure. Julie Hakim Azzam July/August 2020 p.108(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Nobody catches chickens better than Lami, and everyone in the village knows it. Lami hears, "Catch 'am, Lami" from Aunty Aisha, Daddy Danlami, Nana Nadia, and a host of other friends and relatives who all acknowledge this brown-skinned girl's talent. Many visual and textual details announce this book's likely Nigerian setting: the school lessons that take place outside under a tree; the beautiful African-patterned fabrics the characters wear; the braided hairstyles of the little girls; a large gathering under a baobab tree, and the Hausa directive for Lami to "Sannu! Sannu!" ("Slow down!"). Ignoring the warnings that relatives fling at her as she runs past, Lami climbs up the baobab in hot pursuit of a black-and-white chicken and falls from a great height. The sprained ankle she gets from the fall slows her legs, but after receiving some sage advice from Nana Nadia, she starts to use her mind more than her legs and finds a new way to do what she loves. Brooksbank's vibrant illustrations have the look of quickly stroked pastels and teem with motion and activity. Chickens in many colors populate the pages, and the interactions among both adults and children emphasize the strong sense of community in this village. Brooksbank also makes excellent use of white space to focus in on Lami's love of chickens and her delight in pursuing them. A fun-filled, culturally rich tale that will delight readers young and older. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
