Chanticleer the rooster rules his Coop and the surrounding land with a just wing. But physical and spiritual dangers seek his downfall. The ancient and long-imprisoned Wyrm has hatched a plot of evil in the unnatural Cockatrice, and the Coop’s creatures will need more than simple, upright living to prevail against them. Walter Wangerin Jr.’s award-winning animal fantasy The Book of the Dun Cow (1978) sings a hopeful song in the night. The late Lutheran pastor and professor closely examines everyday life with the regularity of canonical hours while building suspense toward a crescendo. Wangerin’s tale harmonizes humor with personality and realistic behaviors in a symphony of spiritual truth and mythic imagery.

Best for: Older teens and adults; fans of fable, myth, and animal stories.

Discern: War and violence can be graphic, an evil rooster assaults the hens in his charge, one hen destroys her eggs before they can be laid, mild but frequent swearing, an otherwise heroic character frequently derides his friends, medieval cosmology blends manmade stories with biblical truths.