This was a great book to use for a unit on Springtime/Easter traditions. Third and Fourth graders all enjoyed the book. ( )

This has more of a fantasy twist to its story than the two stories I've read by Polacco before. It's audience is older, I believe, like that of "Thank you, Mr. Falker" but I don't think the storytelling is quite as detailed and we'll written as that one. It's still very good, it just doesn't stand as tall as Falker, in my opinion. I wasn't expecting that ending, not that I had any expectations at all. I couldn't predict how the story would end, but I think the one Polacco chose is perfect. Again, I see a lot of cultural elements she described in her autobiography in this story. I can't figure out from an artist's standpoint, however, why she left Babushka's face as a sketch while everything else was colored in. ( )

Every year Babushka creates beautiful hand painted traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs to show off at the fair, and every year hers are the most beautiful. When she finds an injured goose, she brings it home and nurses it back to health, and it becomes her dear companion. As it gets better though, it gains more energy and accidentally destroys her painted eggs! At first she is very upset, but she is astonished to discover that the goose has begun to lay painted eggs, and she uses them as her entry to the competition. By the time the fair comes around, she has enough to enter, and everyone is blown away by how beautiful they are. When she returns home, her goose is gone, but the last egg she laid is still there, and it hatches into a gosling for her to keep and raise so she won't be lonely.

AGES: 3-8
SOURCE: home bookshelf ( )

Babushka brings home an injured goose that accidentally breaks her prized eggs she is taking to the festival. Rechenka repays her kindness with a surprise. I enjoy the friendship that is created among these two different characters.

CC: Folktale and folktale comparisons, Russian traditions/culture. Art teacher connection to painting/Easter.

Rechenka’s Eggs, by Patricia Polacco, is an authentic picture book featuring traditions and surprises. I truly enjoyed this book, because I could feel the importance of this tradition to the main character. Babushka, the old woman, paints eggs for the Easter festival in Moska. One day she rescues an injured goose. She nutures it back to health, however, the goose accidentally breaks all her precious painted eggs in the process of flying again. The next day, she awakens to find that the goose had a laid the most beautiful egg. The main theme of this story is about miracles. Because Babushka saved the goose, the goose returned a favor, which was only possible due to a miracle. The lovely illustrations of the eggs also give the book a dazzling appearance. I noticed that each egg in the illustrations is different, just like it says they should be in the story. I appreciate how Patricia Polacco is both the author and illustrator for this book, because she could follow through with this little detail that made all the difference in this adorable miracle of a book. ( )