FABULOUS FINISH: Hensel and Gretel Ninja Chicks

Hensel and Gretel Ninja Chicks
By Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez
Illustrated by Dan Santat
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2016.

Hensel and Gretel are two chickens who live with their Papa chicken (their Mama had already been taken by a fox). In order to “get empowered not devoured” they go to the “3 Pigs Dojo” and become ninjutsu masters. When their training is complete and they head home they learn that their Papa has been taken as well. Off the two chicks go on a quest to find their family and possibly save everyone else from that hungry fox. And of course when two ninjas are saving the day, there is always a fabulous finish waiting at the end.

This is another fun edition to the ninja animal fairy tale retelling. (And if you haven’t checked out Three Ninja Pigs or Ninja Red Riding Hood you totally should!) One of the nice things about this book is the fact that the chicks and the fox are all girls—which totally shows that girls can be ninjas too! The text has a great rhythm that makes it perfect for a read-aloud for little ninjas. And there is action and comedy infused into all the illustrations. If you have any youngsters who dream of being sneaky ninjas, this is a great book to read to them.

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