Early One Morning by Mem Fox

Abstract

Reviewed by: Early One Morning by Mem Fox Deborah Stevenson, Editor Fox, Mem Early One Morning; illus. by Christine Davenier. Beach Lane/Simon, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781481401395 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781481401401 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 1-3 yrs A little boy leaves his farmhouse home "in search of a couple of things for his breakfast." He checks in with various elements and residents of the farm, such as a tractor and a haystack, a cow and a sheep, but each time without acquiring his unspecified breakfast things, because none of those "lay them." What does? Well, the big clue is that he's been followed the whole time by an interested chicken, and finally the boy gets his eggs from the henhouse and enjoys his breakfast. Fox's assured [End Page 211] toddler-ready text balances the pleasure of chant-aloud repetition with either a guessing game or an entertaining sequence of wrong answers, depending on the sophistication of the viewer. Davenier's sunny, loosely flowing line and watercolor illustrations treat their subjects with gentle playfulness, as the chicken perkily shadows the seemingly unaware boy and the boy's and chicken's poses often rhyme as they react to each new encounter. This has the merry sturdiness of a mid-century classic, and lapsitting kids will love being in on the joke. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois