Friday, December 20, 2013

This Tale of a Daring Hen Really Made a Mark on Jackie's Heart

http://bit.ly/1bR9STa

This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command, only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild—and to hatch an egg of her own.

An anthem for freedom, individuality and motherhood featuring a plucky, spirited heroine who rebels against the tradition-bound world of the barnyard, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is a novel of universal resonance that also opens a window on Korea, where it has captivated millions of readers. And with its array of animal characters—the hen, the duck, the rooster, the dog, the weasel—it calls to mind such classics in English as Animal Farm and Charlotte’s Web.

Featuring specially-commissioned illustrations, this first English-language edition of Sun-mi Hwang’s fable for our times beautifully captures the journey of an unforgettable character in world literature.

Jackie says:
"I love Sprout, who is the hen mentioned in the title.  She's got spunk, determination and can be as fierce as a tiger when she needs to be.  All she wanted in life is to hatch an egg, but where she had been, her eggs were taken from her every time she laid them.  So finally, she stopped laying eggs, and went on a hunger strike.  She just wanted to live in the yard, that she could see from her cage, and to have a family of her own.  And the farmers did let her out--they threw her in the garbage hole.  And that was the very beginning of a her adventures.  This little but brilliant Korean tale brings up a lot of issues in a very quiet way that will leave you pondering long after closing the slim covers of this lovely book."

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