Marigold is a Chicken: a funny and heartwarming picture book about unconditional love

By Author / Illustrator

Alex Latimer

Genre

Family & Home

Age range(s)

Publisher

Oxford University Press

ISBN

9781382071987

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-07-2026

Synopsis

In this is warm and funny picture book by award-winning author-illustrator Alex Latimer, four chickens are eagerly waiting for their eggs to hatch.

Philomena's chick is first. She is big and strong and seems born to be an athlete. Hilda's chick shows immediate promise as a scientist. Karen's chick is a talented artist. However, when Barbara's chick hatches, it is . . . well, just a chick. But Barbara thinks her chick, Marigold, is perfect.

Barbara loves Marigold, not because she is talented or strong, but because she is hers and that is what makes her special! She simply wants her chick to be herself.

A humorous and heartwarming tale of unconditional love! Perfect for fans of Alex Latimer's Godfrey is a Frog and Frank is a Butterfly.

Find out what inspired Alex Latimer's series of picture books about being yourself.

Download Extract

Reviews

Lizi

Marigold is a Chicken is a charming picture book about realising that you are you, and that is the best thing you can be.

When the hens in the coop start hatching their eggs, the chicks that emerge are all excellent at something - science, art or Maths even...but Marigold? Marigold is a cute, fluffy chick. She tries her best at all of the things the other chicks excel at, but she just can't do them. Marigold's mum then steps in to help her realise what she is excellent at . . . being herself!

This is a story with a really lovely message, about everyone being different and that being happy with yourself is one of the best things you can be. The pictures are engaging, help to convey the story and are also amusing.

The story is written with humour and good vocabulary - it's a nice 'step up' picture book; the story is easy to follow but the language is a little more developed than first picture books. There's a good amount of text on each page, with speech bubbles and onomatopoeia presented differently - making it a great one for introducing the conventions of text to younger readers in the classroom.

Marigold is a Chicken is a lovely book to share with your own children with the core message that Barbara loves Marigold no matter what she can or can't do, or one that would be lovely to share in PSED/PSHE in an educational setting.

Picture book / Reviewed by Lizi Backhouse, teacher