Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken by Kimberly Tso, illustrated by Louie Chin
Publisher: Third State Books
Format Read: ARC-e-book
Number of pages: 32 pages
Publishing: August 19th, 2025
Source: Books Forward
Opening Lines: "New York City is not a great place for a chicken."
Whenever Beatrice visits her cousins in the city, she enjoys stopping by Chinatown to watch Lillie, the tic-tac-toe playing chicken. Lillie lives in an arcade and receives a treat in exchange for playing a game. Beatrice feels sad for Lillie, worried about her being confined, and wishes that she could have a better life. Full of concerns and questions, she vows to strike a deal with the arcade owner to secure Lillie's freedom.
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, Kimberly Tso's debut picture book, is based on the true story of Lillie, a real chicken that played tic-tac-toe in New York City's Chinatown Fair arcade. I always enjoy learning new things and was completely captivated by the premise of the story. I'd never heard of chickens playing games before but interestingly, my husband recalled seeing this game at the North Pole amusement park in Colorado Springs.
The illustrations by Louie Chin are stunning, vividly portraying the liveliness of New York with illustrations of the cars, crowds bustling through the crowded city streets, storefronts adorned with large signs, and even iconic images like sitting in the park feeding the pigeons. The colors are bright, and I love the way that the story and illustrations celebrate the beauty of New York and Chinatown. This is just a gorgeous picture book that I'm sure will appeal to animal enthusiasts, children wanting to get a glimpse of New York City and Chinatown or wanting to learn about how these games were run. At the same time, the story raises the question of how animals should be treated and inspires children to take a stand if they think an animal is being mistreated. Included at the back of the book is an author's note with the inspiration for the story, and the history of tic-tac-toe chicken games in Chinatown. A stunning debut picture book that absolutely shouldn't miss.
**A huge thank you to Books Forward for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review**