Chicken in the Kitchen

By Nnedi Okorafor and Mehrdokht Amini

What would you do if you woke up one night to find the shadow of a giant chicken passing your bedroom door? Go and investigate of course! A hugely entertaining look at the fascinating masquerade culture of West Africa, told from the perspective of a plucky young Nigerian girl who finds the courage to protect the traditions she loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lantana Publishing
• Release date: Jun 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9780993225314

Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning novelist of African-based science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Born in the US to Nigerian immigrant parents, Okorafor is known for weaving African cultures into creative settings and memorable characters. Her book, Who Fears Death has been optioned by HBO, with Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin as executive producer. Okorafor is a full-time professor at the University at Buffalo, New York (SUNY).  

Book preview

Reviews for Chicken in the Kitchen

[jennybeast · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ok, usually I really enjoy Okorafor's work, but I'm just not sure who this book is for -- is it meant to be an introduction to the idea of what a masquerade is for younger children? If so, I think it's somewhat successful on that level, but it's also very confusing, -- it's like it skips a page -- there's this mysterious giant chicken causing havoc and then suddenly the increasingly worried girl in the story realizes that it's a masquerade and the end. Weird. Yay for multicultural storytelling, and I liked the bright images, but this is an odd book.

I reread it, and it was less confusing this time around, but I'm still not sold on the storytelling. I'm glad other people like it, but it doesn't work for me.

[villemezbrown · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I only recently began reading Okorafor and was surprised at the amount and variety of the books she has produced. Unfortunately, lacking context, I found this children's picture book a little too difficult to puzzle out.