Author(s): Lloyd Jones

Picture Books

When Napoleon Bonaparte arrives in Corsica for the holidays, chicken farmer Manoli thinks "Wouldn't it be nice, just for once, to be somebody else other than a chicken farmer." He enters the annual Bonaparte look-alike competition and wins, the prize being Napoleon for a day. The trouble is, he enjoys his new identity so much he cannot give it up. The eggs are not collected and the chickens stop laying. The whole town suffers. Napolean puts his birthday party on hold, and when he tries to restore order on the farm, the chickens just laugh at him. He begs Manoli to return to the farm. So Manoli changes back into the battle-scarred clothing of a chicken farmer, and swearing at the rebellious chickens in his best farmyard Corsican gets them back to laying eggs. Manoli is a hero with the townsfolk. They erect a statue in his honour. Extravagantly colourful and expressive illustrations make this an exceptional picture book. First published 2003.