This book is about a girl and her father, who marries an unpleasant woman and while the father is away the step moms sends her to Grandma Chickenlegs for a needle to sew her dress. Grandma Chickenlegs wants to eat the girl but the animals help her escape.

I would personally not use this book with younger kids as it is a bit frightening especially with the pictures. On the flip side the pictures are vibrant and eye catching.

This is a must read! Grandma Chickenlegs is a bit frightening but the story is really cool. The illustrations are also wonderful. ( )

This book was pretty good. The illustrations were very pretty, they really brought the story to life. The folk tale itself was a little lacking. Overall, an entertaining story.

Summary:
The book is about a young girl whose father remarries a mean woman. The father goes out for a business trip and the mother is rude to the little girl. The girl’s dress is too small so the step mom tells her to go to mother chicken legs to get a needle to make her a dress. The girl is terrified to go to grandmother chicken legs because she knows she is evil. The girl goes and the grandmother makes her sew, for she wants to eat the girl in the morning. The girl helps out the cat, dog, and tree that the grandmother has neglect. In return they all help her escape from grandmother chicken legs and the girl makes it back home safely and tells her father what had happened. The father gets upset and kicks his new wife out and tells her to never come back.

Personal Reactions:
I really enjoyed this book. I think it might be a little to longer for younger kids to sit through and it has some questionable content for younger children. The book reminded me of Cinderella from when I was a child. It really played on my emotions. I was sad, anxious, and excited throughout the book.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1.I would use this book on a unit about kindness. I would have the children write a short story about a time when they were kind. Then we would talk about how it makes them feel when someone is kind to them.
2.I would use this book in a unit about art. The pictures in this are amazing. I would introduce new art terms and show the students examples foe the book. I would have them write the word and a short definition of each word and have them draw an example of it. ( )

A droll and utterly delightful retelling of "Baba Yaga," the Russian folklore equivalent of Cinderella. McCaughrean has changed the names but the plot details remain largely the same. After Tatia's mother dies, her father marries a vain and selfish woman with two daughters. While he is away, the stepmother sends Tatia to the witch Grandma Chickenlegs on the ruse of borrowing a needle. But rather than becoming the witch's dinner as the stepmother had hoped, the child's kindness results in her escape. Once home, she finds that her father has returned. He sends his wife and her daughters away and the two live happily ever after. With its emphasis on description and imagery, McCaughrean's text retains much of the flavor of traditional folklore. But as strong as the text is, it is Kemp's full-page colored-pencil illustrations that steal the show. Using a style that is a pleasing mix of realism and impressionism, the artist captures the fantasy inherent in the tale. With their vivid greens, reds, oranges, and blues, the lively art jumps off the page. The depictions of Grandma Chickenlegs are particularly marvelous. With her bouffant hair, bat eyeglasses, and striped stockings, this witch is more comic than threatening.