[2] The book had its beginnings in Cooney's delight in the colorful plumage of some exotic chickens she happened to see in the late afternoon October sunlight.

Some pages would be in two colors, red and black, while some double spreads would be split, ideally so that the discrepancy would not be noticed or, better, that the picture would benefit.

[5] It is clear from her acceptance speech for the Caldecott Medal that Cooney knew her choice of story would place demands on its young readers: "I believe that children in this country need a more robust literary diet than they are getting.

Her editor offered work on a full colour book with a French setting which she went to France to research.

In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1956 to 1965, Norma R. Fryatt wrote, "The dramatic possibilities in the tale are exploited gently but firmly, even turning the limitations of color printing into advantages... Chanticleer and the Fox is retold with clarity, freshness and dedication to the task.