Chicken Licken

Source: Bishop, Gavin. Chicken Licken. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.

Summary: Chicken Licken thinks the sky is falling, and rushes off to warn the queen. Along the way, he is joined by various other poultry, until they meet up with Foxy Woxy. The fox offers to take them through a shortcut to the queen, which happens to be his lair. Once inside, he gobbles up all the birds except Chicken Licken, who escapes and runs home.

Cultural origins: Undetermined. It was not stated in my source, although the characters and setting suggest a western European origin.

Audience: Multiple. The version of the story presented in this source would be most appropriate for 2nd-4th grades, as the violent imagery at the end would likely frighten younger children. However, a revised ending would make this suitable for preschool-1st grades.

Adaptation notes:Even with an older audience, I would likely downplay the violence of the final scene, describing the animals as being eaten up rather than beheaded by the fox. I would probably keep the chicken's name as Chicken Licken, rather than the alternative Chicken Little, to maintain the rhyming scheme of names in the story.