Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken
Published on 2. October 2025
Book
Hardback
32 pages
979-8-89013-029-7 (ISBN)
Description
"I loved reading this story inspired by the real Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken of Chinatown! Kids will be encouraged to seek clever solutions for the problems they see being ignored."
-Grace Lin, award-winning author of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
"An imaginative retelling of a true story, Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is something to squawk about!"
-Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of and the A Boy Called Bat series
New York City is not a great place for a chicken to live. It's crowded and loud and busy. But you can find the city's most famous chicken, Lillie, a.k.a. the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, in Chinatown.
When tourists ask, "Where's the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken?" locals point them to a video-game arcade on Mott Street, where Lillie plays games of tic-tac-toe against anyone who wants to play against her.
But eight-year-old Beatrice worries that the dark arcade is just not a good place for Lillie to live. She devises a clever plan: She will challenge the arcade's Big Boss in a game of tic-tac-toe. Will Beatrice win Lillie's freedom?
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is a picture book inspired by the true story of Lillie, a real chicken trained to play tic-tac-toe in New York's Chinatown Fair arcade, and her relocation to a farm for rescued animals. Featuring vibrant paintings of Chinatown by the award-winning illustrator Louie Chin (Bodega Cat, Fighting to Belong! Vols. I and II), Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken showcases a local cultural touchstone and shows how children can stand up for what they believe in and solve tough problems with ingenuity and heart.
-Grace Lin, award-winning author of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
"An imaginative retelling of a true story, Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is something to squawk about!"
-Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of and the A Boy Called Bat series
New York City is not a great place for a chicken to live. It's crowded and loud and busy. But you can find the city's most famous chicken, Lillie, a.k.a. the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, in Chinatown.
When tourists ask, "Where's the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken?" locals point them to a video-game arcade on Mott Street, where Lillie plays games of tic-tac-toe against anyone who wants to play against her.
But eight-year-old Beatrice worries that the dark arcade is just not a good place for Lillie to live. She devises a clever plan: She will challenge the arcade's Big Boss in a game of tic-tac-toe. Will Beatrice win Lillie's freedom?
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is a picture book inspired by the true story of Lillie, a real chicken trained to play tic-tac-toe in New York's Chinatown Fair arcade, and her relocation to a farm for rescued animals. Featuring vibrant paintings of Chinatown by the award-winning illustrator Louie Chin (Bodega Cat, Fighting to Belong! Vols. I and II), Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken showcases a local cultural touchstone and shows how children can stand up for what they believe in and solve tough problems with ingenuity and heart.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken:"This animal liberation tale from debut author Tso and Chin (Bodega Cat) offers an encouraging example of a resourceful young activist outwitting the opposition."
-Publishers Weekly
"Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken brings lore to life in a heartwarming and gorgeously illustrated story for readers of all ages."
-Amy Chu, award-winning author of Sea Sirens and Carmilla
"An intriguing story inspired by a real-life New York City Chinatown sensation."
-Mia Wenjen, award-winning author of We Sing from the Heart and Food for the Future
"When clever eight-year-old Beatrice decides Lillie deserves a better life, she comes up with a bold plan to win her freedom. This heartwarming tale celebrates courage, quick thinking, and standing up for what's right."
-Arree Chung, author of Mixed, Ninja!, and the forthcoming MG graphic novel memoir Don't Cause Trouble
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Preschool to Third Grade, Interest Age: From 4 to 8 years
Product notice
Picture book
Illustrations
Full color illustrations on every page
Dimensions
Height: 272 mm
Width: 229 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-89013-029-7 (9798890130297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Kimberly Tso was born in New York City, and growing up she split her time between there and Arlington, Virginia. She now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her partner and two daughters. Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, illustrated by Louie Chin, is her first book. Prior to writing children's books, she was a grantwriter for nonprofits and taught grantwriting to graduate public policy students. When she is not writing books, she enjoys cooking, reading, playing video games, solving puzzles, and spending time with her family.
Louie Chin is an illustrator whose work includes the children's book, Bodega Cat, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection in 2020. He has created artworks for a variety of publications and projects, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Nike. He works in both traditional mediums such as watercolor and gouache as well as with digital art software. He was born and raised in New York City, where he still resides. Louie is of Chinese-American descent.
Louie Chin is an illustrator whose work includes the children's book, Bodega Cat, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection in 2020. He has created artworks for a variety of publications and projects, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Nike. He works in both traditional mediums such as watercolor and gouache as well as with digital art software. He was born and raised in New York City, where he still resides. Louie is of Chinese-American descent.