2021
WISE Score
A chicken finally crosses the road, gets flattened by a truck, and spends the afterlife deciding if it's better to be a scary phantom or a friendly bird.
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Poultrygeist is a clever, visually stunning pick for families who like their humor with a side of 'spooky-lite.' It’s short, punchy, and doesn't overstay its welcome.
While the premise starts with a literal roadkill moment, the book quickly pivots into a story about identity and resisting the urge to be a jerk just because everyone else is doing it. It’s a great 'October' read that works all year round.
Perfect for the 4-8 crowd. It's the sweet spot for kids who have graduated from 'cute' animals but aren't quite ready for real horror. If they liked The Bad Seed, they'll get this.
The core message is about a chicken choosing to be its friendly self rather than succumbing to the 'scary' peer pressure of the ghost animal crowd.
It takes the most tired joke in history and turns it into a neon-glowing, pun-filled ghost story with genuinely original digital art.
It's safe for most, but parents should be aware the chicken actually dies on page one. It's cartoonish (flattened by a truck), but sensitive kids might need a beat to process it.
Excellent for building vocabulary through wordplay and puns, and it encourages kids to question social expectations.
If you've spent any time in a primary school library lately, you know the vibe: kids are currently obsessed with books that are slightly edgy but ultimately safe. Poultrygeist fits right into that pocket. Eric Geron and Pete Oswald (who you'll recognize from his work on The Bad Seed and The Good Egg) have created something that feels modern and a little bit rebellious.
Most ghost stories for kids rely on washed-out blues and greys. Oswald goes the opposite direction. The colors here are neon, digital, and high-contrast. It keeps the energy high even when the subject matter is, well, a dead chicken. This visual style is particularly good for kids who are used to the saturated colors of high-quality animation; it feels 'premium' to them.
Don't sleep on the puns. While they might seem like 'dad jokes,' understanding wordplay is a sophisticated literacy skill. It requires the kid to understand the double meaning of words and the context of the original chicken joke. It's a stealthy way to build language comprehension while they're laughing at a glowing bird in a sheet.
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