Chicken in the Kitchen

Bestselling award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Who Fears Death) turns her writing skills to a wonderful children’s picture book about a young Nigerian girl who discovers a giant chicken in her house.

It is a warm night in Nigeria, and little Anyaugo is asleep in bed until she is awoken by a strange sound. She goes into the kitchen and finds a giant chicken threatening the specially cooked food her mom and aunties have prepared for the New Yam Festival taking place the next day. She follows it around the house, trying to get it to leave, calling on the help of her friend, the wood wit. Eventually, Anyaugo learns she must dance with the chicken, as she recalls her father telling her about masquerade spirits that come for the festivals.

While the book feels a little wordy with chunks of text on the page that could’ve possibly been more succinctly written by a writer more familiar with writing children’s books, Chicken in the Kitchen is still a wonderful tale that is full of life and culture. The illustrations by Mehrdokht Amini are simply beautiful, bursting with vibrant color and detail, bringing the characters and spirits to life. A wonderful children’s book that is both a lovable story and educational.