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Lily's Troublemakers

By Ji-Li Jiang

Illustrated by Michelle Laurentia Agatha

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Award-winning author Ji-li Jiang tells a story from her own childhood, growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution.

Lily loves her pet chicks despite all the mischief they make. But when her hometown makes a new rule that says chickens aren’t allowed, Lily knows she’ll have to make some tough choices. Will the chicks get taken away or can Lily find a safe new home for them?

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"Lily figures out how to help her pets live their best lives. “On Lily’s birthday Uncle Wang rode on a bus for a whole day from his village to see her,” bringing with him two baby chicks, “fluffy and yellow, as cute as could be.” The studio apartment where Lily and her family live in the city is tiny; Lily sleeps in the bathroom, on a platform set atop the bathtub. Still, she happily creates a welcoming home for her new charges. But those chicks won’t be contained; she aptly names them Trouble and Mischief. They’re “as happy as could be” and quickly grow into naughty chickens. They even escape one morning and fly into the factory next door. Only Lily’s singing can calm them. “Your chicks trust you like children trust their mom,” Grandma observes. When the city bans chickens and ducks that summer, a visit from the government inspector looms. Lily cleverly comes up with a way to save her friends. Shanghai-born Chinese American Jiang shares the real-life origins of her delightful story in her author’s note. Jakarta-based Agatha’s rambunctious, riotously colorful illustrations thoroughly enhance Jiang’s already ebullient prose. Both author and artist infuse Lily’s “troublemakers” with irresistible anthropomorphized antics: They dance, cuddle up with Lily at night, and even seem to argue with her. Human characters are cued Chinese.

A buoyant celebration of ingenuity in challenging times. (Picture book. 6-10)"

— Kirkus