What do you call a chicken who saves her aunty chickens from the soup factory? That's right, one "souper" chicken. At first it appears that young Henrietta's reading habit gets her into trouble in the Auchs's (The Princess and the Pizza, 2002, etc.) latest poultry parody. Henrietta reads anything she can get her wings on and neglects her egg-laying duties. But since her aunties aren't laying many eggs either, their farmer schedules a "vacation" for them. Being the youngest of the bunch, Henrietta is kept behind and regretfully bids goodbye to her aunties, who think she's being punished for all that silly reading. As the truck pulls away, Henrietta reads the back of it--"Souper Soup Company"--and realizes that her aunties are going on a one-way trip. Using her trusty reading skills, she finds the address to the soup company and manages to save some pigs and cows from a similar fate along the way. In a hilarious climax, the chickens end up at a vegetarian farm and Henrietta's aunties finally understand the importance of reading. Though the writing is a bit heavy-handed and borderline preachy, the energy and humor can't be ignored. The brightly colored collage-style illustrations demand attention--especially Henrietta's big tortoise shell reading glasses. Reading teachers and vegetarians alike will appreciate the message and young readers will find lots to laugh about. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

K-Gr 4-A disappointing addition to Auch's collection of enjoyable stories featuring poultry with high aspirations. In Hen Lake (1995) and Bantam of the Opera (1997, both Holiday), the author successfully teamed a follow-your-dreams message with humorous storytelling, but in this tale about a self-taught hen, she runs afoul of her formula. When egg production is down, Henrietta's aunts think that the farmer is sending them on a well-deserved vacation, but the younger chicken's ability to read the truck's "Souper Soup" logo clues her in to their real destination. On her mission to save her relatives from the soup factory, Henrietta reads labels, maps, and signs, pausing along the way to warn truckloads of pigs and cows of their futures as sausages and hamburgers. After the rescue is complete, the heroine and her flock find refuge with a vegetarian organic farmer. By the end, the story's pro-reading emphasis is overwhelmed by its anti-meat slant, and ceaseless puns only underscore the macabre tone. Even if young readers understand the farmer's tasteless comments ("-she's a cream of a chicken") and the truck driver's replies ("No wonder you're wonton to keep her"), they are more likely to groan than chuckle. Auch's other protagonists were driven by the joy of self-expression; the sole motivation here is survival. The illustrations are colorful and expressive, but aren't enough to lighten the mood. Compared to the author's previous successes, this book simply isn't up to scratch.-Eve Ortega, Cypress Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Henrietta's love of reading comes in handy when the older chickens are shipped out to go on vacation--in a truck labeled Souper Soup Co. A full-fledged caper ensues as Henrietta helps rescue her friends and find them a safe haven at a vegetarian farmer's house. While somewhat long-winded and heavy-handed, the story and its colorful mixed-media artwork are amusing. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K^-Gr. 2. This latest entry in Auch's popular "poultry parodies" will have educators as well as children applauding its heroine, Henrietta the hen, whose ability to read saves her aunts from becoming the next soup of the day. Henrietta's aunties are going on a wonderful all-expenses-paid vacation--or so they think. But as the truck pulls away, Henrietta notices the sign, "Souper Soup Co." Horrified, she flies into action. She reads the soup company's address from a soup can label at the grocery store, then finds the exact location by reading a map. On her way to free her aunts, she comes across a load of pigs aboard a Saucy Sausage Company truck and some cows headed for the Happy Hamburger Company. After warning the animals about their fate, she implores them to "please learn to read! Reading can save your lives!" The grateful critters get the message, and so will kids. What better messengers than Henrietta and this clever tale, hilariously illustrated in wonderfully expressive, super-silly cartoon pictures. A good choice to celebrate reading during Children's Book Week--or anytime. --Lauren Peterson

The yolk's on readers, thanks to Auch's familiar feathered friends (who premiered in Bantam of the Opera, the first of what the publisher calls the "poultry parodies"), who fly to new heights in this escape-from-the-chicken-factory tale with a winning moral. Henrietta's aunts make fun of her for reading instead of laying eggs, but they also don't realize that when the farmer carts them away on "vacation," they are actually headed for the "Souper Soup" factory (only Henrietta can read the sign on the truck). Henrietta tracks the aunts down from the label on a soup can, follows the instructions on the security system to plan their escape, and uses a vegetarian newsletter in a rural mailbox to find refuge from chicken-eating humans. Filled with the author's trademark puns-the Souper Soup men joke with the farmer about Henrietta (" `Sure, she's a cream of a chicken. It'll be egg drop all over the place once she gets started!' `No wonder you're wonton to keep her' ")-the story also boasts nicely drawn stock characters and a story line that never gets sidetracked. The artists' (who first teamed up for The Princess and the Pizza) illustrations use cut-and-pasted computer images of chicken feathers, fabric, soup cans and, most charmingly, reading glasses strung librarian-style around Henrietta's neck; they paint facial expressions and other details by hand. Figures and feathers fly across the spreads until the very last page, when readers can breathe a sigh of relief. A fine addition to the Auchs' eggcellent library. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved