• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 1 to 4
• Reading age: 6 to 9

Cranky Chicken and Speedy the worm are back in another laugh-out-loud, brightly illustrated, and heartwarming chapter book as Speedy tries to plan a party for a hungry Chicken—sure to delight fans of Narwhal and Jelly and The Bad Guys!

Cranky Chicken is super high on the crank-o-meter! And hungry. A hungry, hangry chicken is never fun, so Speedy races to cheer Cranky up. It’s Cranky’s birthday, so how about a surprise party? But Cranky hates surprises. So Speedy plans an unsurprise party, a day filled with all Cranky’s favorite un-cranky things. After, Speedy wants to go to the beach, which Cranky absolutely does not like (too sandy, too hot, not to mention sharks). Can Cranky learn to try something new? Find even more reasons to fall in love with Cranky and Speedy in these three new stories about friendship, communication, and facing things that seem scary!

Katherine Battersby is the critically acclaimed children’s author and illustrator of a number of children’s books, including Cranky Chicken, its sequel Party Animals, Perfect Pigeons, and Squish Rabbit, a CBC Children’s Choice Book. Her books have received glowing reviews in the New York Times and starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, and have been shortlisted for numerous Australian awards. Katherine lives in Ottawa, Canada. Visit her at KatherineBattersby.com.

Katherine Battersby's profile page

"Cranky and Speedy’s outlooks will resonate with readers no matter which side of the bed they get up from."

School Library Journal