Luci Hand June 22, 2012 2:44PM

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Updated: June 24, 2012 2:09AM

Why are chickens and ducks funny?

I can understand baby bears and other soft, furry animals but somehow chickens? I will say that the play I saw that had chickens in tutus was hilarious.

“Animal Crackers Fly the Coop” by is also hilarious.

This begins with “egg-secuted by” Kevin O’Malley, the author, and goes on from there.

Hen is tired of lay eggs but is not happy when Farmer threatens to have her for dinner. She really wants to be a comedian so she sets out to find her fortune.

Constantly telling jokes and using puns, she finds Dog chasing his tail. He has jokes for her as well as he also wants to be a comedian. the two go on and find Cat, who wants to be a singer. With cat added to the team, the three travel on and find Cow.

Cow wants to tell jokes so badly she forgot to make milk and is on her way to the butcher. the four of them come across four robbers in a house and take their places when they leave to rob the bank.

You know what happens. the robbers come back in the dark and the animals save the day.

Now the four comedians have a comedy club called Cow-Dog Kit-Hen. need I say more? I can’t begin to list all the great puns and jokes, perfect for primary kids. what a great read-aloud story.

‘Interrupting Chicken’

“Interrupting Chicken” by David Ezra Stein is also a hoot. Papa Chicken is trying to get little Red Chicken to bed. little Chick wants a story. Papa says she always interrupts. She promises not to. Of course, she does.

Papa tries three stories in vain and finally suggests that little Chick tell him a story. we watch as little Chick tells her tale and finds that she has put him to sleep. little Chick climbs into bed with her dad and we leave them both happily asleep. this is a great bed-time story as well as a great read-aloud.

“Chick and Pug” by Jennifer Sattler is a tale about two unlikely friends.

Chick wants action. He has read “The Adventures of wonder Pug” 127 times. there is no excitement in the chicken coop. He sets off to find some.

Lo and behold, he finds a sleeping Pug. Chick waits for his new hero to wake up. He even tries a megaphone, which produces a brief awake period. Chick imagines all the activities and adventures they can have while Pug goes back to sleep.

Pug does wake up only to have his mistress put a sweater on him and add a playmate — a cat. Pug gets rid of his sweater but goes back to imagining all kinds of “adventures” and finally comes up with a gigantic “woof” that scares the cat. Chick is delighted to be wonder Pug’s sidekick.

It’s fun to watch Chick try to get motion out of Pug and to see all the great ideas Chick has to stir things up. Pug is not impressed.