
Chickensaurus is a romp of word play and visual imagery, the latest gift to young readers (and adults looking over their shoulders) from James Foley. It’s the fourth in Foley’s popular ‘S. Tinker Inc.’ graphic novel series. Again, Foley shows a mastery of the format, nailing the interplay between illustration, text and design. In Chickensaurus, Sally Tinker, “the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve”, and sidekicks baby brother Joe and biology whizz Charli take on Sally’s nemesis Dexter Maelstrom and his deceptively demure sister, Lyssa. Dexter, who made a brief appearance in Gastronauts, has a new invention to brag about – a De-Evolving Ray that morphs chickens into dinosaurs, or ‘chickensaurs’. The illustrations are awash with amusing detail and puns pour down as the trio battle evil and the De-Evolving Ray’s hilarious feathered creations. Curriculum-linked teaching notes are available on Fremantle Press’s website (or via Foley’s own).