Rechenka's Eggs

by Patricia Polacco

Hardcover, 1988

Status

Available

Local notes

E Pol

Barcode

2305

Publication

Philomel Books (1988), Edition: First Edition, 32 pages

Description

An injured goose rescued by Babushka, having broken the painted eggs intended for the Easter Festival in Moscva, lays thirteen marvelously colored eggs to replace them, then leaves behind one final miracle in egg form before returning to her own kind.

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

32 p.; 7.8 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member psjones
This is my favorite children's book! I loved it as a child and still love this book. Patricia Polacco is my favorite children's author.
LibraryThing member Mgs1414
Rechenka's Eggs by: Patricia Polacco, is about an old woman that lives in Russia that sells beautifully painted eggs. The woman lived alone and painted these eggs every day. During the winter she sees various animals outside of her house. One day she sees a large flock of geese, one of these geese
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falls into the woman's yard. She ends up taking care of the goose and naming it Rechenka and grows very fond of it. Every morning the goose would lay her a beautiful egg, and this went on for 12 mornings. Finally the woman goes and sells her beautiful eggs in town and while she is gone the goose leaves to rejoin its flock. The goose left the woman one egg. The egg turned out to be a baby goose.
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LibraryThing member aelambert
Babushka finds a goose that has been shot by a hunter. She takes it in to take care of it. While she is painting the eggs she is famous for the goose, Rechenka, accidently breaks them. Then Rechenka starts making beautiful eggs to replace the broken ones. When Rechenka leaves, Babushka realizes
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that one of the eggs is very special.
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LibraryThing member kjburkhalter
Babushka paints eggs for the festival every year. This year, Rechenka, her pet, accidentally knocks them over. Oh no! But Rechenkha is a special goose. She fixes the problem and Babushka wins the prize at the festival.
LibraryThing member samib
This story has all the qualities of a traditional folktale, with a new spin and a fantasy quality. A very good story, interesting characters, interesting story elements like the painted eggs, and rewards that are not financial all make for a very good story. The art is excellent.

A teacher could
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include this title in stories about Russia, Russian culture, folktales, or Easter traditions. Librarians can feature this book for Easter displays and international/world folktale displays or programs.
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LibraryThing member kidlit9
An injured goose rescued by Babushka, having broken the painted eggs intended for the Easter Festival in Moscva, lays 13 marvelously colored eggs to replace them, then leaves behind one final miracle in egg form before returning to her own kind.
LibraryThing member jebass
Babushka is known for the intricately painted delicate eggs for which she wins awards at festivals. One day, she comes across an injured goose, takes her in and cares for her, and gives her the name Rechenka. As the goose regains its health, it begins to poke around the house and one day shatters
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all the eggs that Babushka was working on for the next festival. One by one, by some miracle, the goose lays eggs even more beautifully colored than those that were broken. When Babushka leaves for the festival, she says goodbye to Rechenka, knowing that it is time to migrate for the winter. When she comes home to an empty house, she is a little sad at the loss of a friendship, but soon discovers that Rechenka has left an egg, which hatches as a new friend for Babushka.

This book could be used to illustrate Russian culture or introduce art and the rare art forms of the past, like egg painting. It could also just be read for enjoyment, and conveys the message that animals and artwork are beautiful and should be appreciated.
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LibraryThing member ccbell
Babushka loves to paint beautiful eggs. One day Babushka finds and injured goose and decides to nurse it back to health. Finally the goose seems as if she is ready to fly again, as she is practicing she accidently breaks Babushka's beloved eggs. The goose feels terrible and begins to lay the most
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beautiful eggs to repay Babushka.
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LibraryThing member JudesThree
A Russian story with a folktale undertone. Great story to bring in some Russian traditions and history. Could also be a folktale comparison lesson.
LibraryThing member jgiann2
I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. As a child, I loved reading this story with my father. We are part Ukrainian, and one of our culture’s traditions is painting eggs for Easter rather than dying eggs. This book incorporates the tradition of painting eggs, which is why I always loved
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reading the story. The language incorporates Russian terms within the story, such as “Babushka, dacha, kulich, and pashka.” I really enjoy the illustrations because they are extremely detailed and beautiful, which engages the reader. Through the illustrations, there are portrayals of Christian faith. For example, many of the paintings illustrated on Babushka’s walls are of saints worshiped in the Christian faith. The setting also centers on the time of Easter, which a very religious Christian holiday. I think it is important that multicultural aspects are represented in this story; this gives readers an opportunity to learn about new cultures or celebrate their own traditions. Throughout the story, there is a repetition of the word “miracle.” Babushka considers many events that happen to her and others are miracles. These miracles include caribou surviving the winter, the wounded goose Rechenka being sent to Babushka, the beautifully painted eggs laid by Rechenka, the caribou’s baby calves, and the baby chick hatched from Rechenka’s last egg. The character of Babushka is very believable and relatable to a reader’s own grandmother; she is very gentle, kind, and caring of all living things. I love the friendship that developed between Babushka and Rechenka; I believe this teaches a valuable lesson on friendship to young readers. The central message of the story is miracles happen everyday and friendship should always be cherished.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Polacco is of Russian/Ukranian heritage. Many of her books hold the title Babushka (word for grandmother). This book centers of the love of nature, caring for the wild, and embracing talents. Taught years ago, Babushka continues the love of painting beautiful ukranian Easter Eggs. Wehn Rechenka, a
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wounded goose enters her life, she cares for her. Unfortuantely, after she finishes a basket of hand painted eggs, Rechenka mistakenly breaks them.

To repay her misdeed, Rechenka provides one multicolored egg each day to Babushka. When she is healed and must fly away, she leaves a special egg -- one that hatches, leaving a lovely baby gooseling who will stay with Babushka.
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Known far and wide for her gorgeous pysanky - Ukrainian Easter eggs, decorated with intricate patterns, and gorgeous colors - Babushka was preparing for the great Moscow Easter Festival, when she happened upon an injured goose near her house. Naming her new anserine friend Rechenka, Babushka
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brought the goose home, and nursed her back to health. Then, disaster struck, and it seemed as if all of Babushka's painstaking work over the past year, in creating her pysanky, had been in vain. Was her dream of once again triumphing at the Festival over? Or was there a miracle in store - a miracle in which Rechenka could play a part...?

Although I was a little put off by the geographic confusion here - pysanky are Ukrainian, and so (one presumes) is Babushka, although she lives in a dacha just outside Moscow (?) - I found Rechenka's Eggs a very engaging tale, otherwise. Babushka is an endearing heroine - her compassion, and ability to see the miraculous in the everyday events around her, are immensely appealing. Polacco's artwork did seem a little...off to me (a slightly different color scheme than usual, perhaps?), which made more sense, when I noted that this title was originally published in 1988, and is one of the author/artist's earliest books. I must just be used to her later style. All in all, although it won't ever rank amongst my favorite Patricia Polacco books, Rechenka's Eggs is still an appealing story for Easter time, and for anyone who appreciates those marvelous pysanky!
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Lexile

L

Pages

32

Rating

(84 ratings; 4)
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