Title: Rechenka’s Eggs
Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: March 1996
Genre: Folktale, Fables, Picture Book, Mythical Fiction
Audience: Gr. 3,4,5

Overview: This story is about a caring elderly woman named Babushka who lives alone in a dacha. Most of the year, she paints eggs for a festival, which takes place each spring. One day, she finds a wounded goose and names him Rechenka. Babushka now spends her days nursing the goose back to health and painting her eggs. Suddenly, Rechenka accidentally knocks over all of the eggs, destroying all of Babushka’s hard work. She is devastated until a surprising miracle happens.

Activity: Children can poke a hole in the top and bottom of an egg, blow out the yolk and paint their very own egg, just like Babushka did in the story. Then, they can create a protective carrier for their eggs to prevent them from breaking, like Rechenka’s eggs. To make a science connection, students may have a competition, dropping their eggs from high up to see whose carrier prevented their eggs from breaking.

Reviewer’s Name: Amelia Smith