National Network for Equitable Library Service

When five hens leave the coop to go pecking for grain, five little chicks are left all by themselves for the day. At first the chicks — Ivan, Lily, Leonard, Shirley, and narrator Anthony — cry. Then, they get scared: what if their moms never come home? What if a fox finds them? The chicks must work together to brave the day without their mothers. When the mothers return to the coop with delicious grain at lunchtime, all but one of the chicks — Anthony — fall upon the food ravenously. Bolstered by his triumphant day at home alone, Anthony pauses to declare that he is ready to eat all by himself for the first time. A beloved book in its original French, All By Myself! is a plucky tale about cooperation and independence. Told in part through mixed media illustrations and energetic text, this picture book will inspire and entertain young readers as they approach their own hallmarks of growing up.