A Hen for Izzy Pippik by Aubrey Davis
today’s children storybook summary is
A Hen for Izzy Pippik
By Aubrey Davis
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
The takeaway: Sometimes, it is hard to keep doing the right thing, especially when others push you in the wrong direction. But as hard as it may be and as long as it may take, doing the right thing feels good, and sooner or later, others will follow.
Storyline
Shaina used to help the merchants on the market every day, but lately, the times have been tough. Some shops have closed, and thus, there are fewer jobs. As she sat on the porch, lost in thoughts, Shaina felt a pick on her toe. When she looked down, she saw a beautiful hen with green feathers, golden speckles, and a red comb.
The girl figured that the hen must have come from the market nearby. So, she grabbed the bird and ran to the marketplace to return it to its owner. She asked everybody, but nobody seemed to have lost a chicken. Finally, following some tracks on the road, Shaina arrived at a spot where a single empty crate stood, and by it, a sign that read: Izzy Pippik chickens and eggs. She looked around, but Izzy Pippik was gone. The girl returned home with the hen. She named her Yevka. She convinced her family to keep it by telling them that when Izzy Pippik would come back she'd give the hen back. She was sure about it.
Days passed, one after another, and still, Izzy Pippik did not return. The hen had chicks, and the chicks grew, and they had their own chicks. Her family tried to get rid of the birds, but Shaina kept saying that the owner would arrive soon. Then, the chicken population exploded and took to the streets of the town. Some citizens proposed using them for dinner, but the girl told them that they could not take what wasn’t theirs.
More time passed, and the owner still didn’t come. Shaina worried, but she firmly believed that, someday, Mr. Pippik would arrive. The locals got used to the chickens roaming through the streets and stopped paying attention. But not everybody. Word spread that in this town, there were chickens everywhere. People came from nearby or faraway cities to see them. And because of that, the business started to pick up. The more visitors they had, the more prosperous the merchants became.
One day, a red truck came to the market. People all over stopped and watched. It was Izzy Pippik, at last. Shaina came fast, followed by the green hen. She told him the whole story and handed him his hen. She said that the other chickens are also his to keep. But the crowd begged him not to take the chickens. Izzy Peppik let the hen go and drove away. He had given Yevka to the girl and the flock of chickens to the people in the town because they belonged together.
Characters
Shaina, a girl with long, braided black hair wearing a green dress and a red bow; Yevka, a green hen; Izzy Pippik, an older man driving a red truck, people
Illustration
With her drawings, Marie Lafrance, the illustrator of this book, gives the pages a warm touch. Two things set her illustration apart from others. First, her depictions looked ragged, scratched, and worn out, like a drawing that had aged greatly. Second, her characters have very distinctive features, round and clear, sometimes looking like they’ve been sketched by a child. Her illustration's vintage and naïve look brings charm to a wise story.
Recommended Age: 7 to 10
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Things to Learn
Merchant: a person who sells goods in a marketplace. Usually, the goods are homemade, produced in the house, or grown on a farm.
Marketplace: a place, usually outdoors, where merchants sell their goods.
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