When one of Mother Hen’s seven chicks goes missing, everyone gets in on the search. It starts with the neighbors (a duck, goat, pig, and sheep), but soon the police arrive (two hound dogs and a feline detective), then the firefighters (beavers) in their big red truck. A helicopter is brought in for air-to-ground surveillance, but the search results are always the same: “He’s not here.” The mounting hysteria would be alarming if not for the utter absurdity in Valeri Gorbachev’s pleasing picture book featuring a winning cast of willing if ineffective searchers. “Where are you, little chick?” cries everyone in turn. As it turns out, not far away at all. (Ages 2–5)