This children’s book was okay, but I didn’t love it. The story was nice enough, but the illustrations didn’t really grab me. My kids did find it silly and enjoyed it enough.

Lily is a chick who hasn’t gotten all her feathers yet. Due to lack of feathers, she doesn’t want to go to the dance. Her mother tries to console her about her feathers. Lily is still unhappy. She thinks until she gets an idea. She makes a tutu! Her mother tells her that “chickens don’t wear tutus.” Will Lily go to the dance or stay home?

A delightful picture book that brings the message you don’t have to do what everyone else expects. You can be an individual. When one thinks of an idea, one should go ahead and do it. The illustrations are perfect for the story. I loved how Lily thought of a way to make others think about something other than how they looked and felt. It’s a fun read.

I wasn't crazy about the message in this book, or maybe it was just more the wording. It was too much about being pretty and I think the message got lost.

What do you say when your child wants to wear something that's unorthodox or unconventional?
This family of chickens teaches you that what matters most is wearing something that makes you feel special, comfortable and happy!
I love that this book breaks away from gender stereotypes!

“Chicken’s Don’t Wear Tutus!” is, in all the best ways, a simplistic read, sending a powerful message anyone can relate too. Author, Laura Willingham, does an exceptional job of not over complicating her message, which many others - in a wide variety of platforms, have a tendency to do. Any parent/guardian looking to get into the mind of their young ones, this is a great place to start.

Being yourself is okay, being different from your peers is okay, being viewed by others as being “outside of the norm” is okay, which in turn, “Chicken’s Don’t Wear Tutus!” is a great avenue into the complexities of making sure to be true to oneself.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

This is sweet, it really is, but I think I was expecting something different? From the cover I think I was expecting some sort of competition story with a "everyone's a winner" message. Instead it was about wanting to look "pretty". I did love that Dad wanted to and wore a tutu as well though.

The big barn dance is coming up, and Lily the chick is self-conscious about her feathers. Despite her mother’s reassurances, she decides to come up with a fabulous idea. She puts her creativity to work and fashions herself a tutu. Even though she is told that chickens don’t wear tutus, she take sit in stride saying that they do now. It isn’t long before her mother and father are also in tutus as they make a grand entrance to the dance.

Honestly, I really wasn’t feeling this book at the beginning. The illustrations are extremely simple, as is the text. The idea that a chicken would need to wear a tutu lest they think their feathers drab and boring wasn’t the message I think we want kids hearing. However, the ultimate messages which overpowered that were that creativity is encouraged, you should be you despite what others are doing or have previously done, and that parents can support their children. When the dad decided he needed a tutu as well, we cheered a little for not promoting gender stereotypes.

This is a cute little book which could work as filler during a story time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is a cute story. Chicken don't wear tutus - or do they? A little story about breaking the norm and doing what makes you happy.

A farm-wide dance is coming up, and Lily (the chick) is concerned because she doesn't have feathers yet. To help her feel pretty, she makes a tutu for herself. (Out of fabric being used for other things. I hope they weren't important!)

This is a simple story with child-like illustrations. It shows that Lily uses creativity and objects around the house to make a fluffy tutu skirt so she won't feel self-conscious. So far, the book is good.

After showing her tutu to each parent, I was disappointed that both parents said she looked pretty, then immediately felt sorry for themselves--producing a tear! So their chick (daughter) felt obligated to make them happy. (They couldn't help?)

I had hoped the parents would be good examples, and say something like "Do you think you could make one for me? I would like to join in the fun!" Instead, they waited until their child made a tutu for each of them.

Although I understand the idea was to have all three of them go to the dance wearing tutus, how the story got to that point, overshadowed the good things. For me, this book was weighed down by the selfishness of the parents.

2/5 Stars

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook!

#ChickensDontWearTutus #NetGalley

The Blue Ridge Barn is having its annual Moonlight Chicken Dance . It's the biggest event of the year. A young chick named Lily feels sad and does not want to attend the dance. She frets over the fact that she doesn't have many feathers and doesn't look fancy enough to go.

After she ponders the situation she changes her mind and rummages through her house looking for a solution to her problem.

"I need to make my feathers look full and fluffy."

Imaginative, creative Lily not only comes up with a winning strategy but draws her mother and father into her plan too. The family attends the soirée looking fancy, supportive and happy.

The positive uplifting message encourages acceptance, kindness, love, and uniqueness. It inspires readers to be and celebrate who they are. I love the cover. It really draws you into the story and the illustrations are simple and enrich the text. This sweet story will be a hit with both young and old. I highly recommend this book.

This was a very cute book about not only being brave enough to dress/behave differently than status quo, but also having the full support of parents. I enjoyed the messaging and the story.

This is a cute story! Lily wanted more feathers for the upcoming dance, so she decided to make a tutu. Everyone kept saying that chickens don't wear tutus, so Lily decided to make one for them.

I read this with my first grader. She thought the whole book concept was fun, but hilarious. Her favorite part was the Dad wearing a tutu.

The only part of the book that we thought could be improved was the illustrations. They presented the story, but were very simple.

Overall, the book was enjoyable, 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free digital copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much hope for this book and I was really disappointed. I thought it would be a better story than this, but it didn’t really have any depth to it.

Title: #ChickensDontWearTutus
By: #LauraWillingham
Source: #NetGalley
Read on: Kindle Paperwhite
Published by: #BlackRoseWriting
Pub Date: 9 Sep 2021
Genre: Children's Fiction
Rating: 3/5

Thank you #NetGalley and #BlackRoseWriting for giving me and my 5-year-old son an ARC of this clever book. This doesn't in any way shape or form affect my honest review.

Chickens Don't Wear Tutus! is a lovely picture book that teaches kids to be themselves. It conveys a special message to the readers that we are all different in our own special ways. The illustrations were so colorful and encouraged my little one to flip through the pages. I like how supportive Lily's parents were as well, it just goes to show how much they love her. I've rated it 3/5 though because the writing was just okay but I will definitely read this book again to my little one.

Cute little story about a young chicken, Lilly, who is self-conscious about her looks. She's also a go-getter and comes up with a solution that makes her feel better. Kudos to her parents for being supportive. This book isn't thrilling or outstanding, but it's fun and sweet and totally usable in a group story time.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A cute picture book demonstrating a daughter looking after her parents, making them feel included in her creativeness.

Chickens Don’t Wear Tutu’s by Laura Willingham

This is a pleasant little story about a chicken who uses creativity to hide her insecurities, however my children weren’t particularly captivated by it and were mostly just worried that she’d get in trouble for cutting up the soft furnishings!

I love the illustrations in this book. A great message comes from this book - wear whatever you are comfortable wearing, you never know, others may join you. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Charming picture book which shows children it’s fine to have a different idea and be creative. It also gave opportunities to discuss feeling unhappy about your appearance. I loved the family support shown in the book where both parents join in wearing tutus! Both my children enjoyed it.

Very cute and good-spirited book about solving problems creatively and making your own joy! For various reasons, Mom, Dad, and the little chick all wind up with tutus for a special dance even though everyone knows that chickens don't wear tutus!

What I liked most, aside from the fact that no one was shamed and told their insecurities didn't matter, was the very simple, confident response when people balked at the new tutus. Kids can definitely benefit from seeing that modeled as they develop their sense of self.

This is a fun book with a great message that I look forward to reading to my class!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!