The popular and irrepressible Jillian Jiggs is back for the fourth time. This time she’s putting on a surprise backyard show as a birthday present for her sister Rebecca.

Rehearsals begin, sets are painted, costumes put together in bright, funny, lively illustrations. Written in rhyme, the story has great momentum with only occasional awkward and distracting spots. As each guest arrives, he or she of course insists on joining the cast. New characters and costumes are instantly made up, and soon the most delicious chaos reigns onstage and off.

Phoebe Gilman is the award-winning author and illustrator of such beloved books as Something from Nothing, The Gypsy Princess, and The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs among others. This is a good group-read-aloud book, and the children can often join in on the last word in the rhyming stanzas. When a chorus of pigs is brought on and the text reads “‘Yes!’ the guests shouted. ‘Oink, oink, hooray!’,” expect your listeners to oink along.

But there’s more: at the end of the story is a play called The Chicken Princess, a delightful six-page script complete with stage directions and spot illustrations. This material could be enjoyed on many different levels, from a simple parent-and-child bedtime story to a class project for imaginative children who want to stage their own play.