Bawk To The Future by Kaz Windness

This adorable graphic novel chapter book is the first in a new Time-Traveling Chickens series for advancing readers!

Nugget and Tenders are two chickens kept in a super secret lab who’ve been accidentally fed a Super-Smart potion instead of the Super-Big potion Dr Dipping-Sauce thought she was giving them, as part of the shadowy Big Chicken cabal’s Secret Plan For World Domination. Mysteriously, the Super-Big potion has been accidentally fed to the rats instead, causing havoc in the building. Amidst all the chaos, Nugget and Tenders make a break for it, only to find themselves accidentally sucked back in time due to the machinations of the Time-Travel Lab.

When our plucky (heh) chickens are finally able to peek out of the bucket they’d been flung through time in, they discover that they’ve been shunted back to the late Cretaceous period. Worse, they’ve landed right in the middle of a Tyrannosaurus Rex’s nest. With the help of some new friends, will they be able to escape the T-Rex and find a way… Bawk To The Future?

This is a very cute take on the traditional time travel story, with some unique protagonists and a lot of fun visual and textual jokes. I love how Kaz Windness addresses the dinosaur-bird evolution theory, and how affronted Nugget is when Drs Rock and Tock of the Time-Travel Lab call his species “lowly.” There are tons of great science, sci-fi and history references here that will amuse both younger and more sophisticated readers.

The art is also really nicely done, with bold, expressive drawings that lean into the madcap nature of the tale. I particularly enjoyed the use of primarily greyscale, with red highlights and, even more sparingly, a golden yellow. This is a cleverly designed book that’s also a great size for young readers to tote around. The sequel is out soon, and I’m looking forward to reviewing that, too!

Bawk To The Future by Kaz Windness was published August 25 2026 by Simon Spotlight and is available from all good booksellers, including