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. ( )

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. ( )

A girl finds a masquerade spirit in the form of a chicken in her kitchen on the night before the new yam festival. This book discusses Nigerian culture. ( )

This book is about a chicken in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Anyaugo, the little girl was confused and wanted the giant chicken to leave the house before he destroyed the food for the New Yam festival. She asked for help from a spirit and he gave her the courage to ask the chicken to leave in his language. This book was a bit confusing because it was about African culture that I am not familiar with like the festivals and spirits. It is a good read for children that are learning about different cultures. They can be more open minded on other traditions outside the American tradition. ( )

I did not like this book because I did not fully understand the plot. For example, on the various pages there are words that help the reader understand what is happening in the book. However, there are also pages that have no text which makes it hard to understand what the author is trying to convey. The book is about the New Yam Festival. Therefore, if readers have some prior knowledge about the festival then they will be able to connect to the book and understand what is happening in the books setting. Additionally, the book is written in third person limited narrator. Therefore, the reader can easily see the thoughts of the girl Anyaugo as she tries to figure out how to get the chicken out of the kitchen. One benefit of the book being written in third person limited narrator is that it allows the readers to feel the emotions of the book from the character’s point of view and allows them to see the bigger picture of the story. The big idea of this story is how the young girl enjoys her family traditions and will do anything to protect these traditions to make sure they still happen. ( )