Dear Agent,

When the family car breaks down, Clyde the clever fix-it chick jumps at the chance to repair it. But then his dad brings home a new “chicken coupe” equipped with fancy features like “insta-fix.” Clyde wonders if he’ll ever have a chance to prove his usefulness, until an eventful drive in dad’s new wheels reveals that not everything can be fixed with the push of a button.

CHICKEN COUPE is a 478-word rhyming story full of action and humor. Its STEM angle, resourceful main character, and playful rhyme will appeal to fans of Andrea Beaty’s IGGY PECK, ARCHITECT and Chris Van Dusen’s IF I BUILT A CAR, making it a good fit for today’s picture book market.

I am a poet and author of several picture books, including TWO TOUGH TRUCKS (written with Corey Rosen Schwartz) and FEDERICO AND THE WOLF, which will be published in May by Clarion and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. In addition to picture books, I also write verse novels and am always working on a new project.

Thank you for considering CHICKEN COUPE. I look forward to hearing from you.

Little Clyde, a fix-it chick,
refurbished old machines,
mended tattered, battered boots
and patched up holey screens.

But Papa said, “Don’t waste your time.
That junk should all be tossed.”
He always bought the latest stuff
no matter what the cost.

One day when Papa’s pick-up huffed
and sputtered to a stop,
Clyde came running with his tools.