Kim Bu Gelen? (Who is Coming?) does contain letters and ‘words’, but they are onomatopoeic ones that suggest squarks, roars and other noises rather than speech. So the book justly earns consideration as a wordless book.

The cover alone implies the content is going to be funny. And it is. Four gangly legs are arranged on either side of the page, rather like the curtains of a traditional theatre. In the middle, as though centre stage, are three determined little hens climbing on top of one another. Their aim is to use a telescope to figure out what – or who – has suddenly arrived in their midst.

The title page shows a hatching chick, a tree and a cardboard box. How could they be connected?

We find out on the next page, when we see a rather surreal image of three hens gathered around the upturned box at the base of the tree, engrossed in a game of chess.

The  colour palette in this charming book is soft and muted, consisting mainly of shades of black, grey and brown, with a few hints of colour in the blue clouds and red details on the hens themselves.

The birds’ peace is disturbed when a giant hoof appears on the far right of the page. Their curiosity is piqued and they are pretty alarmed. They have a quick chat and decide they need to investigate the intruder and introduce themselves to it. The black hen has the inspired idea of using some stilts to climb up to the animal’s head.

But while the black hen has been collecting the stilts, the creature has turned around and is heading off in another direction. Unsupported by either the tree or the animal, the hen falls off the stilts and crashes down to the ground.

By this time there are clues to indicate the identity of the mysterious stranger. In addition to the long legs and knobbly knees, there are also mottled markings on the skin and a tufted tail. These clues may encourage young children guess what type of animal it is and, if they get it right, this could help them to feel smarter than the birds..

But the hens themselves have yet to put two and two together, so this time they use a step-ladder to get closer to the creature’s head. The ladder isn’t tall enough, though, and it’s definitely not stable enough. So once again the trio land on the ground in an unceremonious heap.

The expressions on the faces of the hens brilliantly capture their surprise, and the use of individual letters here is also interesting. Both upper and lower case letters tumble down the page like leaves from the tree, indicating a cacophony of disjointed bird-like squarks.

Next the inquisitive hens try leaping on a trampoline. Yet again their plan fails to get them high enough and they end up bouncing over the side in another undignified landing.

What to do next? More discussion is needed and various noises rise above the hens’ heads in an inverted triangle.

Suddenly the brown hen has a light-bulb moment. She will get a megaphone and they will introduce themselves through that. It works, and finally the animal bends its head down to the hens’ level.

Turns out the fearsome creature is a gentle giant after all, in the form of a bendy-necked and very friendly giraffe.

Wait, though.… Just as we – and the hens – think the problem is solved, we turn a gatefold page to see a vast scaly claw appearing on the right hand side of the page, accompanied by a deafening roar. This time there are no polite introductions. Everyone is just desperate to escape from a genuinely scary DINOSAUR!

Kim Bu Gelen? is a story that is likely to engage and amuse children, as they figure out just who the strange creature is and probably also comment reprovingly on the dangerous activities of the hens. There are other fun things for them to spot, too, such as an egg cracking open on the very first page and several others being laid during the course of the story.

Gökçe İrten is an award-winning author and illustrator based in Turkey. She initially studied ceramics but later focused on writing and illustrating children’s books. Her work has been published in eight languages.