The Chickens Build A Wall by Jean-Francois Dumont

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dumont, Jean-Francois.  THE CHICKENS BUILD A WALL. Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2013.  ISBN 9780802854223

PLOT SUMMARY

A prickly visitor finds his way onto a farmyard and surprises all the barnyard animals.  As they gather to investigate the new visitor, the animals begin to suspect that he has ill intentions.  To protect themselves from the hedgehog, the chickens begin to build a wall around their hen house.  After working several months to complete it, they discover the hedgehog awaking in the barn from his winter hibernation.  Soon, the hens get used to the hedgehog’s presence and the visitor decides to stay. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

French author and illustrator Dumont brings a wonderful story to young readers that tackles strong issues such as prejudice, fear, and distrust of strangers.  Although THE CHICKENS BUILD A WALL does not have many cultural markings, it approaches the world of prejudices and discrimination in a manner young children can understand.  

While the story lacks a specific time frame, it does span several seasons, from fall to summer.  The change in seasons is seen through the neutral-colored, acrylic illustrations peppered throughout the book.   Readers see the autumn tree leaves in hues of red, orange, and yellow; the white colored snow pouring over the chickens; and the green-grass fields of the barnyard’s pasture.  The entire plot unfolds on the farm’s barnyard.  

The thorny, brown-colored visitor arrives onto the yard and is overwhelmed by all the animals gathering to gawk at him.  He curls into a tight ball to protect himself from their penetrating glares.  As the farm yard animals gather, the illustrations help to establish a separation between the insiders and the outsider.  The roosters all share common physical attributes-  red combs, red wattles, and orange beaks.  Although their feathers vary in color, they all have the same body shape and size.  Perhaps the strongest image Dumont uses to emphasize to differences between the insiders and the outsider is one in which the hedgehog is curled in a ball while the rest of the barnyard animals look on in wonder.  The hedgehog’s numerous spikes are seen in detail, in a rich, brown color, with his body mass taking up nearly half of the page.  On the opposite side of the two-page spread, all the barnyard animals-roosters, chickens, ducks, and geese- are painted a purple-hue.  This emphasizes the separation between the two groups, both in color and distance.  

The next morning, as the ruckus over the strange creature begins to grow, panic takes over the animals and they begin to suspect him of ill intentions.  The chickens’ distrust is evident in statements such as “I bet he didn’t leave empty-handed” and “We cannot let ourselves be tricked without doing something about it.”  Word choice also emphasizes the wariness they have, describing the hedgehog as a “beast,” “thief,” and “invader.”  As the audience follows the story, they also see the worry and panic in the chickens’ facial expressions and body language, with wide eyes and flapping wings.  An image of chickens running in different directions depicts the chaos occurring on the barnyard.  

The images and sentences used throughout the text allow readers to sense and relate to the fear people may have when encountering strangers or new people.  Often times, when a new member is introduced to a community, individuals put up emotional walls to protect them from the unknown.  They may have preconceived notions or prejudices about a person or a specific ethnic group.  In Dumont's book, this emotional wall is actually given an image when the barnyard animals erect a concrete wall to keep the hedgehog out.  Anger and hatred towards strangers may also develop from fear of the unknown.  Dumont brings this to fruition when the rooster takes command of the barnyard and angrily tells them “We have to protect ourselves against prickly invaders.”  As he is doing this, readers see the rooster with his wing held high, as if in defiance, with a scowl on his face and furrowed eyebrows.  When the chickens begin constructing the wall, the look of determination and anger are seen in their scowling facial expressions and body language as they march in formation, unified in their quest to keep the outsider out.  

At the story’s conclusion, months after the wall has been erected, the tiny hedgehog awakes from his winter hibernation to find himself in the barnyard.  Dumont simply states that “the hens got used to the hedgehog” and that “the hedgehog wasn’t afraid anymore.”  He quickly wraps up the story with the single sentence “And so he stayed.”  Although Dumont rushed this critical point of the story, and should have spent more time developing the chickens’ acceptance and tolerance of the hedgehog, young readers will understand that the chickens have removed their prejudices and emotional walls.  This action is symbolically seen in the book’s final image of all the animals walking around the barnyard amid the rubble of the now torn down wall.  The final message Dumont gives to readers through his story and illustrations is that diversity should be embraced.  Everyone will benefit when they value and respect not only their own culture, but others' cultures as well.

REVIEWS

CATHOLIC LIBRARY WORLD: “This allegory of fear of the unknown, of making rash judgments based on looks and blaming a stranger for real and imagined wrongs will raise discussion options with children about bullying, new friends and classmates, being different, and in a broader range, the Holocaust and other times of persecution based on not fitting with the majority. The simple language and short sentences lead this book…as a starting point for exploring social issues.”

KIRKUS: “In all too fast a wrap-up, the chickens and hedgehog become fast friends. But if the friendship seems too precipitous, maybe a bigger lesson is in the offing here: Walls don't work, from prisoner-of-war camps to national borders. The gorgeous European barnyard is all ocher and sienna, with gray-green shadows, old turrets and tiles highlighting the fiery red wattles of the birds. A beautiful picture book, with an unexpected, yet profound, something to take away.”

CONNECTIONS

Have students read other books written by Jean-Francois Dumont and see if any common themes appear.

Dumont, Jean-Francois.  A BLUE SO BLUE.  ISBN 1402721390

Dumont, Jean-Francois.  THE GEESE MARCH IN STEP.  ISBN 0802854435

Dumont, Jean-Francois.  LITTLE GOOSE GOES OUT OF STEP.  ISBN  1840895403