Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? A Hard-Boiled Mystery

Exactly six years after her hatching, self-proclaimed inspector H. Poulet has just hung out her detective-agency shingle when three hen friends arrive demanding answers to the titular question. Evasive about their motives, they set the feathered detective, who’s decked out in a noir-style fedora and trench coat, on a barnyard-wide investigation. “I had a case to solve or there’d be egg on my face,” writes Caplan Sayres (the Where Do... series), conjuring text in which chicken puns pile up thicker than feathers from a molting hen. At each stop, Poulet discovers a taunting note: “You can lead a horse to water,” reads one, “but... you still haven’t solved this mystery!” Who could the wise quacker be? Readers paying close attention may suspect that the farm animals’ behaviors are all in service of a good—even celebratory—cause. Sunny-hued, digitally finished pencil illustrations by Fearing (Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine) portray an expressive, googly-eyed animal cast, all remarkably skilled at secret-keeping. This blend of detective fiction and farmyard fun offers read-aloud audiences and emerging readers a solid introduction to the mystery genre, with just enough goofiness to keep them clucking. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)