The Rooster's Gift

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

All the chicks speak in “bok-boks and cackles,” except for one—the
different one who says “ca-tockle, ca-tockle, flonk.” The farmer and
his wife hope he has “the Gift,” and soon Rooster believes he has
it, too—that when he crows in early morning and the sun rises, he
creates the day. Rooster struts around and is very proud of this feat
until one day when he oversleeps and the sun rises anyway. Stunned by
this realization, he is later reassured that he does have an important
gift to give the world.

This humorous barnyard tale about self-affirmation, by the late Pam
Conrad, matches the whimsical spirit of her early picture books, and
would be an excellent selection for storytimes. Eric Beddows’s
illustrations glow with brilliance, especially the detailed plumage of
the fowl and the final radiant scene of the egg-shaped sunrise. Highly
recommended.