Chicken Frank, Dinosaur!
Author: SK Wenger | Illustrator: Jojo Ensslin
Shaunda’s Favorite Line
“He’ll go extinct a second time.”
This is one of my favorite lines because it shows that despite what Frank is trying to convey about the process of evolution, the other animals just aren't getting it. They misinterpret him throughout the book. But what makes it especially fun, is that Frank holds on to the biggest misconception of all--that Ike is a dinosaur--until Ike reveals his mistake in the end, yet they still find commonality and family.
Jojo Ensslin’s illustration delivered what I had envisioned in my head, but he also added other fun elements, like the animals posing with carrots on their heads when they think they can all evolve into unicorns.
I had far too many drafts of this manuscript to count. The story had at least 6 different endings at various stages of the revision and editing process. When I resubmitted the manuscript - I even offered two different endings, and then the publishing team modified the one they liked by adding on a layer with a visit to the aquarium. The line showed up in one of the early drafts, and then it was one of those that stuck around and didn't meet the fate of other darlings that were done away with as the manuscript moved from traditional narrative prose to comic-style form.
Why