Fine Feathered Friend Book

In India, Raju is angry about spending two months on his aunt and uncle's farm while his family attends a wedding in England, but things looks much brighter after he becomes ...

Jeanne K. Pettenati - Children's Literature

A young boy is angry with his parents for sending him to the country for his summer vacation while they go off to England. Living with his aunt and uncle on their chicken farm will be very boring, Raju believes. In his city of Mumbai (Bombay), Raju is used to movies, modern shopping centers, outdoor markets, and cricket fields. An unexpected thing happens to Raju on the farm-he finds an egg and keeps it warm until it hatches. He names the baby chick Pitchou and they become inseparable. The chick considers Raju to be her mother and he learns to take very good care of her. Through this friendship, Raju begins to see his summer vacation in a whole different light. The descriptive text in this touching chapter book will immerse readers in Raju's sun drenched summer. The colorful illustrations give readers a flair for the contrast between city and country life. The illustrations also capture the transformation Raju undergoes-from sulky to content. This title is one in the publisher's "Yellow Bananas" series. 2002 (orig.1996), Crabtree Publishing,