The Great, Great, Great Chicken War

by David De La Garza

Features a tale of conflict begun by those who are too afraid to address why they are fighting in the first place. This book presents a child's interpretation of how silly people can be when they... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979526604
• ISBN13: 9780979526602
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Anchorage Press
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A Book for All Ages

The Great, Great, Great Chicken War This is a children's book that all ages can enjoy. The young author - David de la Garza - and his parents have created a book that has gorgeous art with a story that all ages can enjoy. Not only can they enjoy the story-poem for its rhythm and sounds, but also for the story it tells. I bought the book for a five-year-old and discovered that his two-year-old brother was fascinated by the creatures and colors - the art work. And after hearing it read aloud, the five-year-old started talking about the story - about war - and the oldest of the three children, a ten-year-old joined in the conversation and for perhaps the first time, didn't talk down to his younger brother. While the book is not religious, a friend of mine who teaches Sunday School plans to use the book for a class discussion on resolving arguments and disagreements. I think the book is a delight--wonderful art and thoughtful story without it being preachy or sounding "educational." The story-poem has some terrific lines that start with "In the Great great great Chicken War, the rooster rode the rhino out the door, Angry and eager to settle a score"....and the accompanying illustration is imaginary and creative while the rooster atop the rhino is recognizable. I expect this book to become a classic. The Great, Great, Great Chicken War

from a child's eye

So often adults are the teachers and know it all...it is refreshing and grounding to hear and see things from a child's perspective to allow us as adults to stand back, re-group and open are eyes and say, oh yes, that is what it is all about. david reminds us all that things such as war so often absurd and lacking in reason and sense. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the grown up decision-makers could stand back and realize the shear magnitude in numbers of innocent victims in so many unthinkable ways and the little that is accomplished with so much tragedy.

A portion of the profits of The Great, Great, Great Chicken War will be donated to charity for child

Written by parents struggling to explain the concept of war to their young son, The Great, Great, Great Chicken War is a children's picturebook that presents concepts such as war and fighting in the simplest possible terms. Tackling the idea that sometimes people can be too silly or chicken to talk out their problems and fight instead, The Great, Great, Great Chicken War combines rhyming verse with exaggerated color pictures in a gentle, whimsical style. "In the Great, Great, Great Chicken War, // Rockets filled the sky with a deafening roar, / Criss-crossing a land where peace was no more. // Velociraptors stormed across the isle, / Scorching the land for mile after mile. // And in the deep ocean, where sea creatures sing, / Silent octopus feared what the future would bring." The Great, Great, Great Chicken War is an effective way to open the topic of war with young children, with a subtle message against wars fought for seemingly pointless reasons. A portion of the profits of The Great, Great, Great Chicken War will be donated to charity for child victims of war or disaster.

From the perspective of an educator

I introduced this book to a group of fifth grade students, and the discussion that followed was incredible. The pictures and the stories led to a great discussion about trying to make sense of the world and the children's perspective on war and their desire to have peace in the world. Along with using the book as an introduction to a deeper discussion, the words and sentences that make up the story can be used to illustrate descriptive writing, and metaphors to enhance a literacy lesson. I would recommend that this book be placed in all school libraries. We have it here in our library now at an international school, and I have also recommended it to our guidance counseling department for use with students and parents trying to make sense of our world!

Extraodinary story and drawings !

This book is a remarkable collaboration between a very young, gifted child and his parents. The boy, David, created the drawings and story when he was just five years old and living in Germany with his American family as the US-led war in Iraq began. In order to try to understand the big scary thing called "war", David made these drawings and created this story. The book is David's way of making sense of these larger, nearly imcomprehensible events. Parents and children will be completely charmed by the drawings and the story. We own this book and use it to defuse everyday conflicts as well as to explain larger, global issues. I think families, schools, churches and synagogues would all benefit from adding this to their libraries.