Chicken Exit Archives - Janet Sumner Johnson

Chicken Exit

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 25-26

Jul

31, 2022 |

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Books,Inspiration,Publishing,Uncategorized

Today is the final day of facing down the chicken exit! BRAVER THAN BRAVE comes out tomorrow. I have been waiting for this for so long and I can’ believe it’s almost here! But in the meantime, I present Days 25-26 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit! I hope you enjoy!

DAY 25: ???

I left today open for all of you to share your own stories of facing down the chicken exit. I hope you’ve been inspired after reading so many great stories. I hope you’ve been thinking about the moments in your life when you’ve faced down your chicken exit . . . whether that means taking the exit, or doing THE THING. I hope you know that there are SO MANY WAYS TO BE BRAVE. You are Brave! And I hope you’ll comment and share your own story. I would truly love to hear!

An open doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a yellow sign that reads, "Chicken Exit."

DAY 26: Back to Wanda

After reading so many stories of facing down the chicken exit, I bet you CAN’T WAIT to hear how Wanda faced hers. Of course I can’t tell you how the book ends! That would violate all of my reading principles. But know that Wanda is BRAVE. In fact, she’s BRAVER THAN BRAVE. If you want to know more, you can buy your own copy or request one at your local library (if they don’t already have it). Thanks so much for coming along this journey of facing down your chicken exit! I hope you have recognized all the ways you are Brave in your own life!

Wanda, a cartoon girl with dark skin and brown hair in a yellow and pink sweater, stands in a real life doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

I hope you enjoyed Days 25-26, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the whole series. I really wanted to highlight the idea that being brave looks different for everyone. Sometimes we are Brave by doing THE HARD THING, and sometimes walking away from it takes all the Brave. A huge thank you to everyone who shared their story. That took courage, too! I love you all!

And dearest readers, I would really love to hear your story of facing down your own chicken exit in the comments!

If you want to learn more about Wanda’s Chicken exit, you can pre-order (or is it plain old order now??!) a copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):

The King’s English Bookshop.org Amazon Barnes & Noble

If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 21-24

Jul

29, 2022 |

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Books,Inspiration,Publishing

Today we’re continuing with the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 21-24 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 21: PB Character, Little One

A monarch caterpillar named Little One from HELLO, LITTLE ONE, exists in a lonely green world. It longs for a friend. One day an orange butterfly lands nearby and makes a connection. Although embarassed, Little One is brave and responds, making a new friend to end its loneliness.

~by Zeena M. Pliska, art by Fiona Halliday

A cartoon monarch butterfly and caterpillar float before an open door with a real-life roller coaster behind it. Above the door is a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 22: Mr. Janet Sumner Johnson

“I don’t like water sports. I know a lot of people love swimming or boating or whatnot. I don’t really. I think it goes back to almost drowning as a child or something. Now, I have worked on it because others have said I was silly for being afraid of water; but you know except for cruises and calm lake kayaking I still don’t like water or water sports. What inspires me to be braver in many aspects of my life is when I rock climb regularly. I have never been very good at it but I have certainly felt braver in many areas of my life when I struggled against that infuriating over hang or when I actually could complete the climb as planned. It was all about besting myself. Strange rock climbing over water skiing!”

A light-skinned man with gray-blond hair wearing a light blue t-shirt and dark shorts is standing in front of a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 23: Janet Sumner Johnson (Me!), author of BRAVER THAN BRAVE

“One morning, when I was 6, my brothers and their friends built a bike ramp to jump off while waiting for the bus. I was new at riding my bike, and the jump was too big and scary for me. I sadly made my way home while they stayed and jumped. Not long after that, one of my brothers came home with bloody hands and cuts on his face. The ramp had collapsed when he tried to jump it. Suddenly I was glad I’d taken the chicken exit! Sometimes the chicken exit is the best choice, even if you don’t realize it at the time.”

A light-skinned, blond girl in a blue dress with white lace, stands in front of a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the door is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 24: Jessie Oliveros, author of THE REMEMBER BALLOONS

“When I learned how to drive as a teenager, I refused to drive through the heart of the city. I couldn’t handle the lane changes and traffic! So for years I took the “chicken exit” by taking the highways around the city and that worked out great! Then years later I went home to help a family member in the hospital and had to see and hear and do hard things. The first night I left the hospital, I could have gone around the city like usual. But what I had done that day was so hard that suddenly driving through the city didn’t seem so scary anymore. So I did! And I was okay and I’ve done it many times since. Sometimes we can take the chicken exit until we are ready not to!”

a light-skinned woman with blond hair in a yellow shirt and blue shorts is standing in front of an open doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Over the doorway is a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit."

I hope you enjoyed Days 21-24! If you want to learn more about Wanda’s Chicken exit, you can pre-order a copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):

The King’s English Bookshop.org Amazon Barnes & Noble

If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 18-20

Jul

25, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing,Uncategorized

Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 18-20 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 18: Angie Lucas, author of MY BIG, DUMB, INVISIBLE DRAGON

“I rode the roller coaster of infertility for 12 long years. After three consecutive losses, I gathered every remaining ounce of courage to try ONE more time. And that’s how I got my wonderful son, Wyatt, who just turned 5.”

A white boy with brown hair in a black shirt and camo pants stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 19: PB Character, Morah

In MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR FLOATIES, Morah faces a chicken exit when she elects to learn to swim instead of keeping her floaties on.

~by Rachelle Jones Smith (@writerachelle), art by Jairalin Repalbor

A cartoon girl with red hair and light brown skin, wearing a blue shirt and red striped pants and holding a wrapped present, stands in front of a real life door with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the door is a yellow sign that reads "Chicken Exit"

DAY 20: Gabi Snyder, author of COUNT ON US!

“As a young adult I went skiing for the first time with friends who were seasoned skiers. They said they could teach me to ski and we got in line for an intermediate slope. I could barely stand in the skis. The idea of starting with an intermediate slope terrified me. Even the chairlift terrified me! So another friend and I happily took the chicken exit and spent the afternoon taking lessons on the bunny hill. The chicken exit was definitely the right choice!”

A light-skinned woman with blond hair in a dark grey shirt stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

I hope you enjoyed Days 18-20! Now, I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways on Twitter and Instagram. Today I’m announcing the winners!!

First up, we have the winner of the Twitter giveaway:

Mrs_Alexa_Terry (That.Tall.Teacher)

Congratulations!

And next we have the winner of the Instagram giveaway:

Ryann Jones (ryann_jones117)

Congratulations to you, too!! I hope you both enjoy the book and swag! And if you didn’t win, you can pre-order your own copy at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):

The King’s English Bookshop.org Amazon Barnes & Noble

If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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Angie Lucas, Braver than Brave, Chicken Exit, Count on us, Gabi Snyder, Giveaway, Jairalin Repalbor, Mermaids don't wear floaties, My Big Dumb Invisible Dragon, Rachelle Jones Smith, winners

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 15 – 17

Jul

22, 2022 |

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Books,Inspiration,Publishing,Uncategorized

On with the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 15-17 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 15: Girlie

“My friends wanted to do a play and I decided to do it with them, but I don’t like being looked at by a lot of people, so more or less stage fright. So my friends hyped me up and I just didn’t look at anyone in the audience, and everything went well.”

A white teenaged girl with blond hair, wearing jeans and a t-shirt stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 16: My Mom, author of me!

“I have a couple of stories about facing a chicken exit. The first was one day when we all went to Lagoon, our local amusement park. I spent the first half going on rides with you (that’s me! Janet Sumner Johnson). Somehow, we ended up in the Colossus line—the ride with 2 upside-down loops—and we happened to be first to enter. I wasn’t excited to sit in the front seat, but you were, so I did it for your sake. I was scared to death, but I felt like it was what I had to do. I made the mistake of closing my eyes in the scariest parts and got the worst case of motion sickness I have ever had. You had to go around with someone else the rest of the day. I wish I had been brave enough to keep my eyes open. But I’m still glad I did it!

“The second story I thought about was when, as a youth leader, I took a large group to a waterslide park. You should know that I hate waterslides. I don’t really like slides of any kind. Everyone there encouraged me to go down the dark slide. I still remember that you all had a great laugh at the look on my face when I came out! There again, it was what I thought I had to do, BUT I’m really glad I did it. So I think that bravery is doing what you have to do even if you don’t really want to and it scares you.face when I came out. It was what I thought I had to do. So I think that bravery is doing what you have to do even if you don’t really want to and it scares you.”

Janet, a light-skinned woman with light brown hair in a red shirt stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the door-frame is a yellow sign that reads "Chicken Exit."

DAY 17: A.L. Sonnichsen, Author of RED BUTTERFLY

“My husband had to get a cyst removed from his earlobe. I said I wanted to be in the room with him when the procedure happened, but I got so woozy watching the doctor dig into his flesh that I took my chicken exit and hightailed out of there, just in time before I passed out. I sat on the floor in the hallway with my head between my knees deep breathing. No more surgery observations for me!”

A white woman with dark hair in a blue patterened dress stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

Hope you enjoyed DAYS 15-17! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 11-14

Jul

19, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

DAY 11: Sharon Giltrow, author of BEDTIME, DADDY!

“I thought ‘The Little Mermaid’ roller coaster at Disneyland Tokyo would be doable. I lined up with my then 9-year old daughter and I inched to the front of the line. I said to myself “I am a 43 year old woman, I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.” So I bravely turned left and took the chicken exit.”

A white woman with dark hair in a dark, flower-print shirt sits in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 12: PB Character

Chicken Frank in CHICKEN FRANK, DINOSAUR had to push past the doubters and naysayers in order to finally win understanding and support from his friends for the theory of evolution and his connections to dinosaurs. Along the way he also learned something new himself.

~by S.K. Wenger & art by Jojo Ensslin

An illustrated chicken stands in front of a real life doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Over the door is a sign that says "Chicken Exit"

DAY 13: Wendy MacKnight, author of THE FRAME-UP

“I was 9 years old, the last kid on my street to ride a bike because I was scared of falling. “Enough,” I said finally, staring down the slight incline at the top of my street. It took five tries, a few falls, but I did it – total bike boss, chicken no more!”

A white woman with red hair in a green coat and black dress stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 14: Fort Builders, Inc. Team

The Fort Builders team faced their chicken exit when all their hard work was destroyed and they had to decide whether to give up or find a way to make it work!

~by Dee Romito, art by Marta Kissi

In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

DAYS 2-4

DAYS 5-7

DAYS 8-10

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Bedtime Daddy, Braver than Brave, Chicken Exit, Chicken Frank Dinosaur, Dee Romito, Facing down the Chicken Exit, Fort Builders Inc., Jojo Ensslin, Marta Kissi, S.K. Wenger, Sharon Giltrow, The Frame-up, Wendy Macknight

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 8-10

Jul

15, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

DAY 8: Picture Book Character

Diante in BRAVE IN THE WATER does (spoiler alert!) finally put his face in the water instead of running away.

~by Stephanie Wildman, illustrated by Jenni Feidler Aguilar

A cartoon of the top half of a head of a dark-skinned boy with black hair peeks into a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 9: Casey Lyall, author of A SPOONFUL OF FROGS

“My chicken exit story is that I was in a haunted house with three of my friends and we were all hanging onto each other so tight none of us could even make it to escape through the chicken exit. So I guess sometimes you need your friends to help you be brave. 😄”

A white woman in glasses peeks in from the bottome with only her eyes and nose showing. She stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 10: Picture Book Character

Shailey, from HELP WANTED: MUST LOVE BOOKS, faced down her chicken exit by standing up for herself to find a new bedtime storyteller. ~by Janet Sumner Johnson & illustrated by Courtney Dawson

A cartoon of a dark-skinned girl with dark curly hair in a bun holds an orange book and stands in a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

There we have Days 8-10! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

DAYS 2-4

DAYS 5-7

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 2 – 4

Jul

09, 2022 |

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Uncategorized

DAY 2: Wanda, mc of Braver than Brave

Wanda wants to be Brave like her big brother Zane who is the bravest kid she knows. She tries the monkey bars, Skeleton hill, and even camp Wakalaka. But they are not her Brave. Will Wanda ever find HER Brave?

I love this picture of Wanda. @eunji.illustration really captures Wanda’s emotions. All the fears. All the doubts. Wanting to be Brave so badly, but so uncertain if she’ll ever manage it.

I feel that way all the time. How about you?

A cartoon of a dark-skinned girl with dark curly hair, wearing a yellow sweater stands in a non-cartoon photograph of a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 3: Eunji Jung, Illustrator of Braver than Brave

“At the opening reception of my solo exhibit, I was so nervous and scared to do the artist talk in front of a lot of people, but I faced down my own chicken exit by thinking about the reward I would get for being a little brave. In the end, people loved my speech and art!”

Eunji, an Asian girl with bleached hair wearing brown slacks and a gray shirt, stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

DAY 4: Picture Book Character

Mama, from GET READY, MAMA, had to be brave and say goodbye to her daughter when it was time to go to school.

~by Sharon Giltrow & illustrated by Arielle Li

A cartoon white woman with dark hair in a brown skirt and white shirt stands in a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

And there we have Days 2-4! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAY 1

Jul

06, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

My next Picture Book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, comes out in 26 days!!! (August 1, 2022) It’s illustrated by the amazing Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. Woo hoo!!!!

I’m counting down with 26 days of Facing The Chicken Exit, and today is DAY 1. Here we go!

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

When my kids were young, we went to an amusement park that had some amazing rollercoasters. My kids were little, but middle child was determined to go on the smallest of them. We waited in line, but the closer he got, the less certain he was about riding it.

We got to the front, and lo and behold, we found this “Chicken Exit.” That moment became a key moment for him as he had to decide what to do.

It also became the inspiration for my upcoming book BRAVER THAN BRAVE! So of course we had to take a trip back to that very amusement park to visit the inspirational Chicken Exit and get some pictures.

Janet, a white woman with graying blond hair smiles and points to a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit."

Here he is, standing in that exit now that he’s grown and more experienced. Oh how I wish I had a picture of him back then. It was an easy decision to march past it this time, but little him really struggled. Little him HATED the idea of going through that chicken exit, but the roller coaster was big & scary.

The Ride Attendant said, “After the first hill, the rest is easy.”

So little him did it.

A teenager stands silhouetted in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. A sign above the door reads "Chicken Exit."

I’ve thought a lot about what it means to be Brave. Sometimes it’s Brave to ride the coaster. Sometimes it’s Brave to take the chicken exit. It’s different for everyone, because WE are all different. We all have different needs. Different talents. Different fears.

A gray-haired white man in an orange shirt sits next to a strawberry blond white teenager in a blue shirt on a rollercoaster ride. They are both smiling and giving a thumbs up.

We all face figurative chicken exits as we go through life, and I’m so excited to share a new story each day this month of how people and picture book characters have faced down their own chicken exits!

Also, in celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

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Braver than Brave, Chicken Exit, Giveaway, picture books, release day countdown