Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP DAVIS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Sheridan Public Library | J Green (Davis) | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
When Shaina finds a magnificent hen, she knows that Izzy Pippik, the hen's owner, is sure to return for her. In the meantime, Shaina decides she will care for the animal. But when dozens of eggs hatch and rowdy chickens scatter throughout the village, Shaina must fight the entire town if she has any hope of protecting the birds. Inspired by Jewish and Islamic traditional texts, this is a beautiful tale about doing the right thing, even in the face of adversity.
Author Notes
Aubrey Davis was born on June 28, 1937, in Canada. He started writing and performing his works in 1970. His award-winning children's books includes A Hen for Izzy Pippik (2012). Bagels for Benny (2003), Bone Button Borscht (1995), and The Enormous Potato (1997). He has conducted workshops throughout Canada and the United States. He also, told stories and performed them. His first published book was Bone Bottom Borscht (1995). It was published by Kids Can Press. Davis also helped create the Institute of Cross-Cultural Exchange. They donated millions of books to children in Canada and Afghanistan. He volunteered for The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge. It is a charitable educational organization. Dedicated to cross-cultural understanding. It brings research on human nature to the general public. Aubrey Davis died on June 2, 2022.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 5-Based on ancient Jewish and Islamic tales, and following on the heels of the recent retelling by Elka Weber in One Little Chicken (Tricycle, 2011), this is the story of a chicken lost and the honest girl who finds her. Shaina comes upon a hen near a broken crate marked Izzy Pippik Chickens and Eggs. Despite her family's hunger, she is determined to keep the hen for Izzy until he returns. Months pass, and generations of fowl are born, but Shaina will not let the townspeople eat the chickens or the eggs. The poor village's fortunes rise as it becomes a tourist spot known for its giant flock of lovely poultry, and the people panic when Izzy Pippik finally appears. Luckily, the kindly man gifts the flock to the town and all ends happily. This version is charmingly told with pleasing conversational patterns and alliteration. The Jewish flavor of the story comes through in the names of the townspeople, although their ethnicity is never stated explicitly. The colored pencil illustrations are striking with their clean lines, slightly surreal figures, and muted palette. The early-20th-century setting gives the book a folksy, old-fashioned feeling without pushing it completely into the world of long ago. While Shaina's hardheadedness may seem a bit difficult to fathom, the entertainingly told story and compelling illustrations will pull readers in. A good choice where folktales or character education stories are in demand.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Times were tough," writes Davis in his opening to this sharp-witted tale drawn from Jewish and Islamic sources. But when little Shaina comes across a beautiful chicken whose crate has apparently fallen off a truck, the girl doesn't think poached eggs and fricassee, as her Grandpa and Mama do. Cut from the same cloth as True Grit's Mattie Ross and bearing a comically striking resemblance to the hen, Shaina stubbornly believes she must protect the bird and its offspring until the putative owner, Izzy Pippik (the name on the busted crate) returns. Readers probably won't doubt that Shaina will triumph, but Davis (Kishka for Koppel) and Lafrance (The Firehouse Light) don't make life easy for their heroine; yes, Shaina stands her ground against a grumpy, impoverished town overrun with potential chicken dinners, but when one of her neighbors calls her a "hard-headed nuisance," it's a fair assessment. Lafrance deserves a special shout-out for her work-she proves once again that she's a rare talent who can combine naif rendering with a highly sophisticated and consistently inventive sense of composition. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This tale inspired by Jewish and Islamic traditions tells the story of a hen that has fallen off Izzy Pippik's truck. Although all the townspeople want to eat the chicken and its offspring, honest and steadfast Shaina patiently protects them until Izzy's return. Lafrance's emotive characters reside in a world of fresh spring greens and blues, and young readers will enjoy searching for all the chickens. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Picture book. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Shaina finds a lost hen, she resolves to become its caretaker in the owner's absence. Weeks pass, and Shaina will not allow the consumption of any of the hen's eggs or offspring, reasoning that if the hen belongs to Izzy Pippik as a broken roadside crate connotes then the hen's progeny do as well. At first, Shaina's fellow townsfolk look upon the growing brood as a nuisance and wasted food. But as news of the chickens spreads, tourists come and swell the coffers of the local market, vindicating Shaina's stubbornness. When Mr. Pippik comes back through town, Shaina tries to return the hen and is given a gift the whole town can celebrate. This folktale shares both Jewish and Islamic roots, although in this version, Shaina and her fellow characters are shtetl dwellers, depicted in Depression-era eastern European dress. Nicely paced text and colorful scratchboard-like images are beautifully connected, with the wandering chicks' paths drawn in loopy lines. This is a book to savor and reread, in the tradition of Margot Zemach's It Could Always Be Worse (1977).--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist