Spring Busy-ness: Busy Chickens and Busy Bunnies by John Schindel

CHICKENS WALKING!

CHICKENS SQUAWKING!

And--chickens doing practically everything that chickens can do are the subject of John Schindel's amazing little board book, Busy Chickens (A Busy Book), which puts the personality into poultry!

No pedestrian poultry here, as the vivid and dynamic color photos go up close and personal. Schindel's creative verse features verbs, as chickens zoom and groom, flap and nap, care (for eggs) and share, and peek and sneak. The various fowl vary from oh-so-cute golden fuzz-balls chicks to exotic crested capons, and the wonderful Steven Holt shots of chickens in action seem to be come alive on the pages. It's high art to make chickens beautiful and arresting, but this book for the youngest lap-sit audience does the job.

And for the upcoming spring season, add Schindel's and Holt's equally jolly photo essay Busy Bunnies which puts a variety of young rabbits up front and center in spring-tinged pastels. Young ones do the bunny hop and then plop down for a bunny nap. Bunnies go riding on Mother Bunny's back and go hiding inside a flower pot, and look darn cute doing it all.

Perfect for a pre-Easter read or pre-farm outing, these two board books in the Busy Books series are wonderful signs of spring for adult and small child to share.