Three Hens and a Peacock

Everything is mundane at the farm until one day a box arrives with a peacock inside! The peacock attracts all kinds of attention, causing drivers to pull over to visit the farm and buy food from there. But the hens get jealous of how the peacock gets all the praise while they do all the work...

This was a fun little story that boils down to a moral of 'everyone has their own talent.' When the hens and the peacock trade for a day, the peacock sees how he could never lay a single egg and the hens learn that they can't get a single car to stop. Conversely, the hens realize how important the peacock is in helping the farm to sell wares, while the peacock gains an understanding of how hard the hens work each day to lay eggs. All is this is show more cloaked inside of a silly tale full of emotion and vibrant illustrations.

My only real dislike is that the human characters are "Farmer Tucker" and "Mrs. Tucker," as if he has a profession and she just has a relationship. In all likelihood, she's a farmer as well. Also, they are the only two human characters seen in the illustrations and they are both white, so there's no diversity at all. show less

A peacock shows up at Tucker's farm by accident. As the family is selling their goods on the side of the road the peacock comes out, attracting lots of customers. However, the hens get really jealous that he doesn't do any work but gets all this attention. So one day they trade places...the peacock tries to lay the eggs and the hens dress up and try to attract customers. But what a disaster! There end up being no customers and the hens realize what a tough job the peacock has. By the end of the story everyone appreciates their own place on the farm.

I have to say I'm a bit biased. I love Lester Laminack and he's a great advocate for teaching children to read, and one for teachers. I thought the book would be great for children who are show more learning to work together. I love how it's told through animals so that children have to look past that to get the meaning from the book. A great book for 3rd-5th graders for the moral content and younger grades for the enjoyment of the characters, illustrations and humor. show less

A peacock suddenly shows up on a sleepy farm. Not knowing how farm animals are supposed to behave, he does what he does best; shows off his feathers and shrieks. He quickly becomes the big attraction for the farmstand and the farm is busier and happier than ever. Until the chickens decide they're doing all the work and the peacock isn't helping at all!

So they switch places for the day, with the dolled-up hens as roadside attractions and the peacock trying his best to lay eggs. But male peacocks, of course, can't lay eggs and ordinary hens, even in jewelry, aren't very impressive - or big enough to catch the attention of passing cars. Both sides realize their jobs are important and require more effort than they had expected. Reconciled show more to their own jobs, the peacock and the hens switch back and all is peaceful once more. Until...

The text is a little lengthy, but moves smoothly through the story, emphasizing the sounds of the farm and the clash of personalities between the different fowl. The real draw for this picture book is Henry Cole's illustrations from the sleepy dog to the pop-eyed chickens, with the rather feather-headed peacock providing giggles all the way with his transparent face showing every emotion, from worried to proud to determined to crestfallen.

This story is a funny retelling of the Norwegian folktale, sometimes called "The day the husband minded the house" where a husband scornful of his wife's labors switches places with her and discovers just how hard her job is. Henry Cole's illustrations are always fun and kids of all ages will enjoy this story.

Verdict: Not a required purchase, but an excellent book for storytimes and a good addition to any picture book collection.

ISBN: 9781561455645; Published March 2011; Review copy provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter show less

Mr. and Mrs. Tucker had a farm and what a farm it was. They had hens and cows, a wonderful vegetable garden and a dog to add that finishing touch of charm and warmth to the bunch. Yes siree, it was a site to behold...but with the passing of time, it was slowly going the way of the telegraph; slipping into oblivion. After all, what’s to grab the attention of passersby to a farm raised vegetable stand or fresh milk and eggs when the supermarket has all of these things and more at a “low-low-price-right-now -stop-on-down”? They needed a little flash, a little panache; something to make them turn their heads and take notice before driving by to the local “discount store that shall not be named”…even if they weren’t aware of it show more themselves; but what to do? One unlikely delivery later and we’re well on our way to finding out…

With lively colored illustrations and a beautiful cover to match, I’d say the picture portion of this book is well spoken for. Seriously! As much fun as the front is with the peacock wondering what in the world the hens are doing in his plumage, turning the book around reveals the “other end” of the story…literally, you see the hens’ backsides. That spirit of lively fun is carried forth within the book as well as the story of the newcomers adventure on the farm unfolds with misunderstandings, revelations, and smiles. There is no denying its wide appeal.

Delving behind the cover, we find a dog with all the smarts, a peacock merely trying to find its place, a few well meaning but clueless humans…and a few hens that are simply put, a riot. They are the driving force behind the antics that ensue as they wish to be the center of attention and deem the new comer a lazy show off that contributes nothing but a novelty for folks to see. Little do they know how hard a role he has, at least until they try to step into his “shoes” for a day…to hilarious and eye opening results.

The story itself shows us that we each have a purpose; no matter how big or small we (or it) may be. It’s something made for us alone and although it may not be as flashy or glamorous as we may have hoped, it is still a vital part of the big picture; without us it sits in the corner, an unfinished masterpiece. Recommended reading for both the young and the young at heart; what the story doesn’t do to raise your spirits, the illustrations will take care of along the way. Happy reading! show less

This book is cute, fun, and the perfect read for lower elementary aged students. This book is great because it involves farm animals that many children are familiar with, but also introduces them to new vocabulary and an unfamiliar animal, the peacock. The illustrations are bright and detailed and I believe any child would be intrigued by this reading. One reason I loved this book was because of they underlying message behind the story - each person offers their own, unique, and individual talents that keep things running smoothy. Without everyone doing their job, things do not always go as as they should. This story also describes how we are all different, but we shouldn't try to be anyone but ourselves. I would recommend this read as show more a back to school introductory. show less

In my opinion this book is great for younger students! There are many reasons why I liked this book so much. The first is because of the illustrations, the colors are so bright and draw the students in. In my ELL internship I read this book to a little boy that was in pre-k and all he could talk about was all the colors in the book. Along with the colors the characters are well developed, the story takes place on a farm but non of the humans really play a part in the story line. It is all about the animals and the jobs they have on the farm. This books main idea is to show students an example of problem solving. In the book the animals decide to switch jobs and it does not turn out the way they want so in the end they have to return to show more their old jobs. show less

I thought this was a very cute book for a few reasons. First of all, I thought the illustrations were exciting and depicted the animals emotions extremely well. I also thought the characters were well-developed and that each one was comical yet necessary for the story. I thought that the language was light-hearted yet intentional, which is a great thing for beginning readers. The central theme of this book is presented through the hens and the peacock, who try to switch jobs but realize that each is better suited for their original position and that everyone has a purpose.