Bawk to the Future: A Star Chapter Book

Star Chapter Books are the perfect bridge for kids moving beyond beginning readers but not yet ready for longer chapter books. With short chapters, bold two-color illustrations, and fast-paced, funny stories, these confidence-building books make reading fun and rewarding.

Two chicken friends accidentally time travel back to the age of the dinosaurs in this first tale in the rollicking Time-Traveling Chickens series from Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator Kaz Windness!

Nugget and Tenders are super-big, super-smart, talking chickens. When evil scientists trap them in a time machine, they land in the age of the dinosaurs. Not ones to be easily discouraged, these adventurous avians see their chance to change the course of chicken-kind. Can they change the past and get back to their future--or is the duo doomed to be a dinosaur's dinner?

Each Star Chapter Book is 112 pages long, divided into six to eight short chapters with illustrated panels on every page to keep kids engaged from start to finish. This highly visual early chapter book format supports the transition from leveled readers to chapter books, making Star Chapter Books a perfect fit for independent reading, classroom libraries, or shared story time.

Look for more Star Chapter Books adventures to help kids grow confident and develop a love of reading, including the chickens' next adventure, Nugget and Tenders's Eggcellent Adventure!

Author: Kaz Windness
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Published: 08/25/2026
Pages: 112
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.60h x 6.10w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781665982863
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/11/2026
School Library Journal 07/01/2026 pg. 81
Booklist 07/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2026

About the Author
Kaz Windness is the author-illustrator of picture books Swim, Jim!; Bitsy Bat, Team Star; and Bitsy Bat, School Star, which received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and BookPage. She created the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Level 1 Ready-to-Read Graphics book Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends, which received a starred review and is a Junior Library Guild selection, and its sequel Worm and Butterfly Are Friends Always and the Level 1 Ready-to-Reads Cat vs. Vac, Go! Go! Dino!, and Squid in Pants. Kaz is also the illustrator of Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea by Andrew Hacket and the author of When You Love a Book, illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee. When she's not writing or illustrating books, Kaz mentors children's book authors and artists at The Cuddlefish Academy and enjoys making deep-dish pizza. Kaz lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two children, and Boston terrier. Visit her at WindnessBooks.com.