One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference

by Katie Smith Milway, Eugenie Fernandes (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by true events, One Hen tells the story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana who turns a small loan into a thriving farm and a livelihood for many.

After his father died, Kojo had to quit school to help his mother collect firewood to sell at the market. When his mother receives a loan from some village families, she gives a little money to her son. With this tiny loan, Kojo buys a hen.

A year later, Kojo has built up a flock of 25 hens. With his earnings Kojo is able to return to school. Soon Kojo’s farm grows to become the largest in the region.

Kojo’s story is inspired by the life of Kwabena Darko, who as a boy started a tiny poultry farm just like Kojo’s, which later grew to be the largest in Ghana, and one of the largest in west Africa. Kwabena also started a trust that gives out small loans to people who cannot get a loan from a bank.

One Hen shows what happens when a little help makes a big difference. The final pages of One Hen explain the microloan system and include a list of relevant organizations for children to explore.

One Hen is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554530281
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	02/28/2008
Series:	CitizenKid Series , #5
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	504,204
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 12.35(h) x 0.65(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Katie Smith Milway, a native of Vancouver, B.C., has coordinated community development programs in Africa and Latin America for Food for the Hungry; consulted on village banking in Senegal with World Vision and was a delegate to the 1992 Earth Summit. She has written books and articles on sustainable development and is currently a partner at nonprofit consultancy The Bridgespan Group, based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Eugenie Fernandes is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator. Her many works include the Little Mouse series, Earth Magic, One Hen and Kitten's Spring. She lives in southern Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

... the beneficial effects of small loans and small projects are thoughtfully and carefully explained in the extensive text ... Acrylic illustrations are vivid and lively ...

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

... Kojo’s inspiring, upbeat microfinance story makes the economic concept easy to grasp and admire. Sunny acrylic illustrations [andimpressionistic full-page art ...

Booklist

Bright acrylics fill this spirited picture book ... a pleasing ... purposeful tale about change and hope.

San Francisco Chronicle

... Kojo's inspiring, upbeat microfinance story makes the economic concept easy to grasp and admire. Sunny acrylic illustrations [and]impressionistic full-page art ...-Booklist

One Hen is emotionally affecting, as well as informative ...-Vancouver Sun

Fernandes's large acrylic paintings ... include numerous details ... [and] spark the imagination. This distinguished book will enhance many curriculum areas.-School Library Journal, Starred Review

Extremely appealing ... beautifully illustrated in acrylics by award-winning artist Eugenie Fernandes ... Highly recommended ...-Canadian Children's Book News

Bright acrylics fill this spirited picture book ... a pleasing ... purposeful tale about change and hope.-San Francisco Chronicle

An inviting text and bright acrylic artwork on oversize pages follow Kojo, a rural Ashanti boy, as he builds a poultry farm with a small loan.-School Library Journal, Starred Review

... the beneficial effects of small loans and small projects are thoughtfully and carefully explained in the extensive text ... Acrylic illustrations are vivid and lively ...-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

... encourages children ages 7 and up to think about the power we each have to initiate positive changes in the world.-Breitbart

... a powerful tale about the value of offering a hand up, instead of a hand out ...-Todays Parent

... Kojo's story, with its vibrant illustrations, will plant more than the germ of an idea in the minds of young readers.-Globe and Mail

The text and visuals work individually and together to create a compelling story that is simple without being simplistic and that avoids patronizing attitudes ... the book accomplishes the rare feat of entertaining and educating ... likely to be a hit with both kids and teachers.-Quill & Quire, Starred Review

The vibrant folkish art by Eugenie Fernandes bursts with color and texture and enhances this uplifting tale of the power of giving someone a chance.-Detroit Free Press

From the Publisher

... the beneficial effects of small loans and small projects are thoughtfully and carefully explained in the extensive text ... Acrylic illustrations are vivid and lively ...

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Gr 2-5- After his father dies, Kojo quits school to help his mother collect firewood to sell, but there is little money or food. However, his small Ashanti village has elected to try microlending, a system where the village loans money to one family to buy something that will hopefully improve their lives; once it is paid back, another family borrows it, etc. When it is the boy's mother's turn, Kojo uses a few of the coins to buy a hen. The story then follows him as he grows and slowly but steadily builds the proceeds from that one hen into the largest poultry farm in West Africa. Throughout, the author shows how his success impacts the lives of everyone it touches, from the people whom Kojo is able to employ to the taxes he pays that will build roads and medical facilities. The story is based on the experiences of an actual Ashanti poultry farmer and could open diverse avenues of discussion, including how a community's mutual support and teamwork operate for the good of all. Fernandes's large acrylic paintings capture the warmth of the climate and include numerous details, such as splashes of kente cloth, that authenticate the setting. There are also many illustrations that spark the imagination, such as the one of a tree with Kojo's first hen at its roots, growing more hens as the tree grows, with eggs blossoming from the branches. This distinguished book will enhance many curriculum areas. Tololwa M. Mollel's My Rows and Piles of Coins (Clarion, 1999) is a good companion piece.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

Loosely based on an actual success story, this tale of a Ghanaian lad who parlays one hen into a major poultry farm highlights the way microloans are helping to break the cycle of poverty in many third-world communities. Young Kojo and his mother are barely getting by gathering firewood to sell in the local market, but with a few leftover coins from a group loan, he is able to buy a chicken, sell the eggs and with the extra money slowly build up a flock. Milway follows Kojo through years of hard work as he completes his education, grows up and at last becomes a grandfather, with a big family and a business that has become an economic cornerstone of his entire town. Effectively lightening the author's long, message-driven tale, Fernandes adds plenty of chickens and lots of fanciful details to her sunny illustrations. Kojo suffers no reverses in his climb to prosperity, but as an introduction for children to how microloans are supposed to work, this makes an eye-opening case study. The author introduces the real Kojo at the end as well as some of the international organizations that make these life-changing bootstrap loans. (Picture book. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews