2020-12-25
Can a frolicsome boy carry an egg from the coop to the kitchen?
As the book opens, readers are greeted by a picture of a happy hen with a just-laid egg beneath the word Sunday. Mom, busy in the kitchen that morning, sends Ben to the chicken coop for that egg. Alas, Ben plays ball with the egg, and his cat licks up the mess. Understanding Mom responds: “Oh, Ben, my dear. Oh, son of mine. / You learned a lesson, and that's fine.” Monday comes, and now two hens with two eggs are depicted. Ben sets off; again collecting one, he attempts to balance it on his head. (There is no seeming relation between the number of hens and eggs seen on pages announcing the days and the number of eggs Ben collects.) Alas, it falls, and the cat enjoys it. Mom repeats her mantra. The rest of the week follows, with one more hen and one more egg added to the mix each day. Each time, Mom stays busy in the kitchen, and Ben gets too adventuresome as he runs, skips, and trips with those easily breakable eggs. Finally, Friday arrives and Ben successfully brings home one egg, which Mom uses to brush on her braided challahs to “make them shine.” Both sit down to a festive Shabbat dinner, and on Shabbat they rest. The humorous tale is told in rhyming couplets with lots of verbal repetition; some dialogue is in speech bubbles. Reds and blues are featured in the paneled illustrations. Mom and Ben have pink-tinged round faces with round red cheeks. The hens are colorfully adorned. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.6-by-17.8-inch double-spreads viewed at 28.9% of actual size.)
A celebration of Shabbat for the very young. (Picture book. 3-6)
