The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away by Sophie Anderson

The house with chicken legs is not happy.

Baba has passed through the gate and grief-stricken Marinka now lives with Yaga Tatyana in the house with chicken legs. Theirs is a Yaga house – ‘a place where dead souls come to celebrate their lives before being guided to the stars.’

Marinka always felt safe in the house until now, for it has begun to do very strange things, like the night it grew glowing mushrooms all over the floors and walls. Her worries deepen as the house appears to be losing its energy and Marinka decides the only thing to do is to hold a guiding. This is when the house helps to guide those who have died through the gate.

This time the guiding goes disastrously wrong and the gate, instead of closing becomes bigger and bigger, swallowing everything in its path.

That’s when the house with chicken legs decides to run away.

Marinka makes a snap decision, she must chase after it and she’s not the only one! Best friends Benjamin and Jack the crow follow too and soon all three are involved in an amazing adventure trying to save the house.

Flying mortar and pestles, enchanted trees and much, much more await the intrepid trio in this rollercoaster of a ride.

Can Marinka save her precious house with chicken legs?

Will she find the family she has been searching for all along and what is the house trying to show her?

Marinka is such a strong character, willing to fight for what she believes in and to risk everything to save the ones she loves. The loyalty her friends Benjamin and Jack show, is testament to Marinka’s good nature and her desire to do the right thing, despite the danger she has to face. What a role model!

It was so easy to get lost in this story, swept away into the adventure in the hands of a magical storyteller. Themes of family, belonging, friendship, bravery and magic make this an enchanting second instalment in the House with Chicken Legs series. It has been well worth the wait!

What a wonderful resource to encourage discussions about grief and belonging.

The stunning illustrations by Elisa Paganelli add to the wonder of this fabulous story and it is great to see the cover artwork is all by the same team who worked on The House with Chicken Legs.

Cover art by Melissa Castrillón.

Design by Katharine Millichope.

Published by Usborne.

Like This Post