Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

In honor of all the young people participating in March for Our Lives.

Title: The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!
Written by: Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by: Eugene Yelchin
Scholastic 2017, fiction
Also available in Spanish
Suitable for ages: 4-8 but actually ALL!
Lexile AD550
Themes/topics: perseverance, speaking out

Opening:
Once there was a village where the streets rang with song from morning till night.

Brief synopsis (from barnesandnoble.com)
La Paz is a happy, but noisy village. A little peace and quiet would make it just right.
So the villagers elect the bossy Don Pepe as their mayor. Before long, singing of any kind is outlawed. Even the teakettle is afraid to whistle!
But there is one noisy rooster who doesn’t give two mangos about this mayor’s silly rules. Instead, he does what roosters were born to do.
He sings:
“Kee-kee-ree-KEE!”

Carmen Deedy’s masterfully crafted allegory and Eugene Yelchin’s bright, whimsical mixed-media paintings celebrate the spirit of freedom — and the courage of those who are born to sing at any cost.

Activities and Resources:
RIF Activity Guide
Florida Media Ed Activities

Why I like LOVE this book:
There couldn’t be a more important book for our times, when honesty, integrity, and voices of reason are sorely needed. I’m sure different people will connect in various ways to this book, and that’s the beauty of it. There is so much meaning that can be drawn from this allegory. And stories like this don’t preach. They plant a seed that grows into thoughts and ideas and hopefully, actions. May we always have space to listen to these voices from the heart.

Visit author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books for a plethora of picture books listed by title and topic/theme, each with teacher/parent activities and resources.