The Easter Egg Farm

by Mary Jane Auch Narrated by Larry Robinson

Overview

Pauline the Hen's efforts to lay eggs result in unusual eggs in the image of whatever she was looking at while concentrating. A windfall for her Easter egg-selling owner, her ability produces a bigger surprise when some of the eggs start to hatch!

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Despite her yellow feathers, the personable Pauline is a hen of a different color--a sensitive fowl unable to ``concentrate in all the confusion'' of the henhouse. Her eggs, when they do appear, are of assorted vivid designs and colors, influenced by the objects she has just seen. Mrs. Pennywort, the farm's owner, senses an Eastertime gold mine and begins ``taking Pauline on field trips for inspiration.'' (At the museum, Pauline's Mona Lisa egg is a rare treasure.) Nature takes its course, however, and soon kaleidoscopic chicks emerge from the shells. In time Pauline's progeny produce their own coveted eggs, and mother enjoys a well-earned, colorful retirement. Judging from her energetic, tongue-in-cheek text, Auch has adroitly mastered the leap from middle-grade novels to picture books. Her rib-tickling illustrations feature a gangly, Modigliani-necked Mrs. Pennywort, (over)dressed to the teeth; an eminently expressive Pauline; and of course, those spectacular ovoids. One witty scene follows another--Pauline on point watching the ballet (more inspiration), beside a rhinestone-dripping Mrs. P.; the hapless lady desperately trying to glue cracked eggs back together. Eggs-actly right. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-- Mrs. Pennywort's hen, Pauline, claims she's ``just different'' because she can't lay eggs when she's pressured. When she does produce one, it resembles whatever was in sight at the moment--chicken wire, the sky, a ladybug, a butterfly, flowers, and later on, ballerinas and the Mona Lisa. Mrs. Pennywort realizes Pauline's talent could be quite lucrative, but before the designer eggs can be sold they start to hatch into chicks as multihued as the shells from which they come. The chicks grow up to lay vibrant eggs that would make any mother proud. Large, zany, cartoon-style paintings in bright colors are a perfect match for the comical story line, which is a little disjointed. But while it may not be a literary classic, the book has a kookiness that children will love, and its popularity won't be limited to the Easter season. It may also be used to inspire art projects. A similar theme for a slightly younger audience can be found in Kurt Wiese's Happy Easter (Puffin, 1989). --Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI

From the Publisher

"Auch's illustrations for her first picture book have as much humorous verve as her popular books for older children . . . the vibrant, comical illustrations are sure to appeal."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"Eggs-actly right."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178622575
Publisher:	Live Oak Media
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

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