''Interrupting Chicken'' is a 2010
children's picture book written and illustrated by
David Ezra Stein
David Ezra Stein is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his '' Interrupting Chicken'' series, which was adapted into an animated television show on Apple TV+ in 2022. The first book of the series has bee ...
and published by
Candlewick Press
Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. History
Sebastian Walker launched Walker Boo ...
. ''Interrupting Chicken'' was awarded the 2011
Caldecott Honor
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
and a
New York Times Bestseller
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
. The book was followed by two sequels ''Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise'' (2018) and ''Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast'' (2021).
Background
When designing the chickens for ''Interrupting Chicken'', Stein said he did “a hundred different drawings of the chicken” before he decided which one he liked the most.
["In the Studio: David Ezra Stein on Interrupting Chicken". Youtube. 23 Jun. 2011. 24 Oct. 2013.] His idea behind ''Interrupting Chicken'' came from a childhood knock knock joke that he enjoyed.
Characters
Little Red Chicken is portrayed to be quite young, very enthusiastic and energetic considering this book is based at night. She is very involved with the stories and wants what is best for the characters. She is unable to rest while being read to but does seem to appreciate her father.
Papa is Little Red Chicken's father who proves to be very patient and forgiving. He seems to be quite tired throughout the story and wishes Little Red Chicken would go to bed so he could get some rest also.
TV adaption
An
animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
adaptation of the book was released on
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
on November 18, 2022. The series features the voice of
Sterling K. Brown as Papa and
Juliet Donenfeld as Piper, the little red chicken. A holiday special was released on December 2, 2022. Season 2 was released on September 29, 2023.
See also
References
{{reflist
2010 children's books
American picture books
Children's books about chickens
Caldecott Honor–winning works
Candlewick Press books
Children's books adapted into television shows