Prairie Chicken Little

Okay, this book has NOTHING to do, really, with prairie chickens but there are several prairie chicken festivals coming up this month so it seemed like a fun book to read right now. In Prairie Chicken Little, Texas author Jackie Mims Hopkins retells the classic story with a prairie twist. Back when the bison roamed the area, a prairie chicken decides that a stampede is coming and rushes off to tell the other animals to run away "lickety-splickety." I won't tell you the real source of the rumblin' and grumblin' and tumblin' she heard but the ending is delicious. Among the animals, Hopkins includes a meadowlark, a bird more easily seen than most prairie chickens.

Eastern Meadowlark

The illustrations by Henry Cole are very realistic looking and feature plenty of Texas icons, like bluebonnets and cowboy grub. A fun read-aloud that is colorful and fast-pace and may also pique interest in prairie chickens.

Some prairie chickens are more common than others but the Attwater's is near extinction. Once found in abundance along the Texas and Louisiana coastal prairies, today their very low numbers make them one of the most endangered birds. The males perform an elaborate courtship ritual that includes inflating yellow air sacs to release a booming sound that can be heard across the grasslands. It's very hard to see the Attwaters at the refuge near Eagle Lake but Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is working to breed chickens for re-introduction to the wild and you can often catch a glimpse of the Attwaters on their behind the scenes tour.

Attwater Prairie Chicken Festival is held the second weekend in April (unless it falls on Easter weekend) in Eagle Lake, TX. Other locales hold celebrations for other types of prairie chickens, including the greater and lesser prairie chickens, throughout the spring.






Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Peachtree Publishers.