Take a look at the cover. The cheeky seagull named Chip is stealing the chip from his name. On the title page the chip is gone and only a smear of oil is left.
"Chip, like most other gulls ... was wild about fish and chips."
His home is by the sea with a convenient fish and chip van close by.
The supply of chips ends at the beach when a "Do Not Feed The Gulls" sign is posted by Joe but like all good problem solvers Chip finds a solution. The Air Show is coming. The birds unite and perform a spectacular aerobatic routine. Their photo appears on the front page of the local paper. Joe, the chip man, recognizes their talents as a way to win more customers and so he advertises the seagull show. It is very popular. There is now a long line of people wanting to buy his fish and chips. Joe rewards his new friends with a delicious dinner each evening, not of chips but of fresh fish which he has just caught (look for his fishing rod on the last page). Everyone wins!
You can see a few pages of the book below and here on the publisher site. Young children will enjoy the fold out pages and the long view as the seagulls fall in formation onto the top of Joe's Chip van. You could also have a discussion about feeding birds at the beach and in parks. Are chips really the best food? It would also be good to discuss ways Chip could solve his problem and the power of team work. You could also compare this book with Gary which is listed in the same CBCA section. Here is a set of teaching notes for Chip.
I like the repeated refrain - it could be used for a song perhaps.
"He ate fat chips, skinny chips, soggy chips, sandy chips, crunchy little bits of chips and even spicy chilli-dipped chips."
When we read Chip next term we will also dip into some other books about seagulls which are a common sight at the beach near our school.
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