Australian Sonya Hartnett has written many picture books, as well as books for kids and novels for adults. With There’s a Chicken in the House, she’s teamed up again with the wonderful Lucia Masciullo, who has also illustrated many a picture book and whose whimsical, sensitive style matches Hartnett’s words so well.

There’s a Chicken in the House is a very simple and sweet story of a chicken who wanders into a family home. Only the youngest child seems to notice or care that there shouldn’t be a chicken in the house! The chicken is curious and roams through each room as it explores, with the child following every move. The soft illustrations bring the words to life and will have children laughing hysterically about the antics and adventures of the chicken. Particularly likely to have the whole family in stitches as they read this book aloud together are the scenes in which the sister’s bedroom is messed up and when the chicken does a poo in the bathroom. There is so much craft in this deceptively simple picture book that I predict it will become a firm favourite. For ages 2+.