Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

A barnyard mystery takes on a noir-esque spin in this hilarious picture book chock full of puns, perfect for fans of 7 Ate 9 and Interrupting Chicken.

Inspector H. Poulet has a new case on her wings. The Chicken has apparently crossed the road, and no one knows why. 

Can the Inspector get to the bottom of this tangled nest of questions? Squawking from one udderly unhelpful clue to the next, H. Poulet follows The Chicken’s path across the farm. But the case seems totally scrambled! If the Inspector can’t solve it soon, she’ll have egg on her face.

In the end, the mystery resolves itself with a sunny-side-up twist: a surprise birthday party awaits H. Poulet on the other side of the road. The animals flock together for a barnyard bash, and the Inspector retains her eggcellent reputation—despite having missed all evidence of the party.

From the bestselling author of Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?, this laugh-out-loud farm adventure has wacky, kid friendly illustrations by animator Mark Fearing. Readers young and old will love spotting the clues that H. Poulet overlooks and relish every cleverly crafted pun.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.
—Publishers Weekly

Spotting hidden clues, such as wrapped gifts, birthday hats, and balloons tucked away, allows readers a chance to solve the case themselves. . . . Charming. . . .
—School Library Journal

Youngsters will enjoy discovering new clues on repeat readings.
—Kirkus ReviewsBrianna Caplan Sayres is the best-selling author of the Where Do . . series. Her debut picture book, Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?,  has sold over a million copies to date and has appeared on the best seller lists at: Amazon, ABA Indiebound, USA Today and Walmart.com. Brianna lives in Seattle with her two book-loving boys.

Mark Fearing has never been bitten by a werewolf, a zombie, or a vampire. But he was bitten by the creative bug which is far more dangerous. Books he's illustrated include The Middle School Bites series, by Steven Banks, The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot, by Margaret McNamara, and Ben Franklin's in My Bathroom!, by Candace Fleming, as well as Giant Pants, which won the Oregon Spirit Book Award. He lives in Oregon with his family.