Gwen the Rescue Hen

This book displays what great pets chickens can be, something I know from first hand experience. I've had chickens most of my life and not only do they give back with fresh eggs that are healthier than those bought in the store, chickens are inexpensive and easy to care for, and have the ability to show love and entertain. My family has had chickens that love to be held and pet. In this book a boy finds and adopts a chicken that has been misplaced by a storm, and the two become great friends. Like the story, the illustrations in this book are sweet and simple. I highly recommend reading this to young children.

Fun book about a freed chicken

A tornado frees Gwen the chicken from an egg farm. After some adventures she meets and develops a bond with Mateo, and becomes his friend. He also finds some of her friends who also were freed from the egg farm, and so creates a new, free, flock. Cute book.

I received a copy for review from the publisher, but have ordered two copies as gifts.

A hen dreams of flying, but is rudely woken up by a tornado that sends her out into the world. After being ignored by a giant artificial version of herself, she’s befriended by a boy, and more shenanigans ensue.
I had imagined from the title that the hen would be rescuing others, but not so. The story is silly but endearing, especially the way the boy and the hen hang out.
The artwork is strange, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For one, the start is done negative style: the background is black and the lines are white inside the chicken coop. Said chicken coop shows long lines of hens at work, but on first impression they looks like music staffs.
Special section at the end on chicken facts. Did not know chickens can see in UV! Imagine the research to find that out. . .
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

What the Book’s About

Gwen the Rescue Hen is about a chicken that gets lost after a tornado sweeps her and her friends away. A little boy named Mateo rescues Gwen and her friends and gives them a new home.

First Impressions

The art was absolutely the first thing I noticed. I loved the art style and the chickens peeking on the pages were a riot. The writing was immediately captivating and left me wanting to find out what happened to Gwen. 

What I Liked

I loved Gwen. She is such a fun character. My favorite scene is a scene where a dog chases the chickens. The art for that scene is so fun and whimsical. I also really liked the inclusion of chicken facts at the end of the book.

What I Didn’t Like

Mateo offers Gwen a cookie to see if he can encourage her to come to him. I feel like this is irresponsible given that children often imitate what they see and read in books. I would have felt better if the facts at the end of the book explained what chickens eat, but unfortunately they didn’t use the opportunity to do that. So as far as any kid reading this book knows… chickens might eat cookies. 

Follow Up Thoughts & Feelings

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The facts at the end were reviewed by experts, which is great as an instructional tool to children. I would highly recommend this book for it’s whimsy and beautiful art.

A delightful read for children and chicken lovers alike! 

Gwen the Hen goes from factory farm living to wing flapping freedom in this adventure and it's sure to put a smile on little faces. 

The book doesn't get too dark and scary with the realities that face Gwen in her caged living, just touches on her life as a hen in the dark confines her warehouse. Then thankfully, as though Oz sent, a tornado appears and liberates Gwen and her cell mates from their captivity and gives them a chance at a real life full of true chicken activities. 

I loved the book and can't wait to send a copy to my friends 4 year old, I'm sure it's going to become a bedtime classic.

This book is so wonderful! The only reason a reader wouldn’t give it five stars is because of the uncomfortable truth about factory farming and animal cruelty it presents. The issue is handled delicately for young readers, but is honest enough that empathetic children will have a lot of questions afterwards. The addition of true chicken facts and the real event that inspired this book make this educational as well as enjoyable. The illustrations are fun and compliment the story’s whimsical feel.

This is a really cute book. While it does begin in a kind of depressing tone, with Hen (as she's called at the beginning of the story) living in a small cage on a factory farm, things soon start looking up for this plucky chicken. After a tornado destroys her barn and lands her cage on the seemingly untouched Ma's Chick'n Lick'n Diner (you do have to suspend disbelief a little bit), she and a few of her friends are suddenly free. She meets a boy named Mateo and goes home with him, where she learns to be a chicken and do what chickens naturally do.

When I started reading, the illustrations were all in black and white and looked like sketches; I was kind of afraid someone had forgotten to put the final illustrations in the book! But things soon brightened up; the drab pictures in the beginning are merely a reflection of Gwen's drab life. The drawings are simple, but very cute. The illustrator even managed to make all the chickens look different, so you could tell where Gwen was when she was with the others.

There are a couple of pages at the end with facts about chickens, and that may have been my favourite part. I knew they were intelligent, but chickens are really fascinating birds.

Overall, this is a really strong children's book. Despite being about a hen who escapes a factory farm, it doesn't really hit the reader over the head with any sort of animal rights message; instead, it's a gentle story about kindness and friendship and... well, just letting chickens be chickens.

Hen is a dreamer.  The only thing she's known is the dark room full of other hens, all of them barely able to stand and turn around, and yet she dreams of flying.
Little does Hen know her dream will come true when a tornado takes the roof off the factory she lives in and her cage is sent on an amazing adventure - and a chance for a better life!  When the cage lands, Hen and her friends find themselves outside for the very first time and experiencing the breeze and warmth of the sun ...and a dog chasing them!
A boy named Mateo introduces himself to Hen (who he names Gwen) and invites her and her flock to come to his house, which is the start of a sweet friendship told in simple sentences with fun and bright illustrations sure to capture the attention of young readers.

Inspired by the true story of hens who survived a tornado at a Croton, Ohio egg-laying factory farm, Gwen the Rescue Hen will charm readers with its story of new beginnings and friendship.
I think this children's book also has a wonderful message about treating all animals - whether in the food production cycle or a pet - humanely, and includes a page of interesting facts to educate all readers.  I was excited to learn this book is part of a series for children called Farm Animal Rescue and look forward to reading more with my four year old.

Thanks to Stone Pier Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review purposes.  Gwen the Rescue Hen is scheduled for publication on October 12, 2018.

Full disclosure, I have had chickens for the past seven years, so I am a little picky about what I like and don't like in books about chickens.

So, when I say that this is a delightful picture book, with a very accurately described chicken, It comes from the heart.

The book is based on a real life incident of a chicken farm that got struck by a tornado and the chickens escaped and survived. 

Chickens are amazing creatures, and this book plays on that. Just look a these pictures.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-4508 size-full" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-01-at-11.20.37-PM.png" alt="chicken diner"  />

<img class="alignnone wp-image-4507 size-full" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-01-at-11.21.06-PM.png" alt="becoming part of the flock"  />

And in the end, the chickens find a new home, with light and colors, something sthey didn't have in the factory farm.

Excellent choice for lovers of chickens, old and young.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Gwen the Rescue Hen is a very cute story.
The only famous story I know of chickens is the 'sky is falling' one. it is beautiful to see the friendship between a human and a chicken. Readers go away with a realisation of how it takes time and trust to build a relationship. It is humorous to see chicken out of the coop and in the big wide world. It is ideal book for the age range of 4 to 7. There are some situations where you can count the chicken or find them when they are hiding.
The illustrations are very well done. Initially its dark and gloomy and then there is lot of color. You see water color sky.  Nice contrasts. The dog chasing the chicken is a well done illustration. You can imagine the ruffled feathers.

This book was hard to read but I was able to get the words right. This is the story of Gwen the Hen. She has lived in a cage all her life and one day a tornado hits. You guessed it she gets free. Even though she is free she is scared in the bright world. She is befriended by Mateo a young boy and the story continues from there. I liked the illustrations as with the exception of a few pages they were very cheerful and well detailed. The Mateo character was very cute. My favorite part was Gwen trying to talk to the big chicken at the resturant. This added some humor to the book which I feel all children books need. It is a good story for 4-6 yr olds as with the tornado little ones may get scared. Also a good beginner reader book. The book was inspired by a series of tornados that hit an egg laying farm in Croton Ohio. I hope to see more books on the adventures of Gwen and Mateo.

This book starts off sad and slow but ends fun and happy.  Some Chickens are kept in cages all their life.  They barely have room to move.  But Gwen is going to get lucky, after first getting really unlucky.  Follow our chicken Gwen as she discovers the world outside of her cage.  It’s sure to put a smile on your face.