Status
Available
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Series
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Publication
Kids Can Press, Inc.
Description
Based on a true story, tells of how a poor Ghanaian boy buys a chicken through a community loan program, which eventually helps lift him, his mother, and his community out of poverty.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
American author Katie Smith Milway and Canadian illustrator Eugenie Fernandes, who have also collaborated on Cappuccina Goes to Town and Mimi's Village: And How Basic Health Care Transformed It, turn in this picture-book to the subject of microfinance. The story follows Kojo, a young Ashanti boy in
I've read a few books now about Heifer International - Jan West Schrock's Give a Goat and Page McBrier's Beatrice's Goat - an organization which seeks to address international poverty by distributing agricultural animals and training, but this is the first picture-book I have read about the microloan movement. Apparently, the story in One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference is based upon the experiences of real-life Ghanaian Kwabena Darko, whose story is given in the after matter, along with more information about microfinance organizations, and a glossary. I found the narrative here engaging, and thought that the way in which Milway used the traditional nursery rhyme, This is the House That Jack Built, as a storytelling template, was quite interesting. Great results certainly do come, sometimes, from small beginnings! The accompanying artwork here from Fernandes, done in acrylic paint, is bright and boldly colorful, grabbing and retaining the reader's attention. All in all, this was an informative and engaging tale, one I would recommend to picture-book readers looking for stories about poverty, and about the microfinance movement that is attempting to address that poverty, one microloan at a time.
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Ghana who cannot afford to go to school, after the recent death of his father. When he and his mother are given a micro-loan by the village coop, and there is a little bit left after his mother buys a cart for the firewood she sells, Kojo buys one hen. From this small beginning, great things come, as Kojo slowly builds up his flock, sells his surplus eggs, and gains enough money to return to school. From there he studies hard, eventually winning a scholarship, and going on to study agriculture. Eventually, he starts a farm and business of his own, going on to great success, and having a beneficial effect on other impoverished people, and on his country...I've read a few books now about Heifer International - Jan West Schrock's Give a Goat and Page McBrier's Beatrice's Goat - an organization which seeks to address international poverty by distributing agricultural animals and training, but this is the first picture-book I have read about the microloan movement. Apparently, the story in One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference is based upon the experiences of real-life Ghanaian Kwabena Darko, whose story is given in the after matter, along with more information about microfinance organizations, and a glossary. I found the narrative here engaging, and thought that the way in which Milway used the traditional nursery rhyme, This is the House That Jack Built, as a storytelling template, was quite interesting. Great results certainly do come, sometimes, from small beginnings! The accompanying artwork here from Fernandes, done in acrylic paint, is bright and boldly colorful, grabbing and retaining the reader's attention. All in all, this was an informative and engaging tale, one I would recommend to picture-book readers looking for stories about poverty, and about the microfinance movement that is attempting to address that poverty, one microloan at a time.
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LibraryThing member kami.hodgins
Plot: Kojo lives in a small rural village in Ghana. After his father passes away, he is forced to quit school in order to help his mother support their small family. This story describes the small loan that changes their lives and ends with information about the “real” Kojo and others like him
My reaction: This book is extremely informative while still tugging heart strings. In my opinion, we need MANY more books like this. I especially liked the single summative sentence floating on each page (great design!) as this makes the book accessible to younger readers while also giving a place for you to go back to quickly refresh the main points.
Recommended Age Level: 8 - 15 years old
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as well as information about how the reader can help.My reaction: This book is extremely informative while still tugging heart strings. In my opinion, we need MANY more books like this. I especially liked the single summative sentence floating on each page (great design!) as this makes the book accessible to younger readers while also giving a place for you to go back to quickly refresh the main points.
Recommended Age Level: 8 - 15 years old
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LibraryThing member flashflood42
A totally inspiring book about how poor families in Ghana save a tiny amount so that a family in the community can borrow a tiny amount to start a business--such as buying a single hen, selling the eggs, buying more hens with the proceeds from the eggs, returning to school, studying hard, going to
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agricultural college, beginning a huge chicken/egg farm, employing many others, marrying and supporting a family, buying other livestock, paying taxes that build roads, schools and health clinics, all from the coins to buy one hen!!! The tale told in colorful pictures and relatively simple text is for children but is based on a real entrepreneur who began with a microloan and developed one of Ghana's largest farms and who gives back to his community by making thousands of small loans to people who are poor but industrious. The book is used in curriculums in schools to help students learn how a small change can maqke a huge difference one family, one community at a time. I highly recommend this book by Kate Smith Milway and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. I also encourage all to visit the site for One Hen (onehen.org). After hearing the author speak and after reading her book, my husband and I added OneHen to the list of charities we support. Show Less
LibraryThing member CamilaDeVeau
Summary: Kojo is a young boy living in a small town in Ghana who has to quit school to help his mother earn enough money for them to survive. The town Kojo lives in decides to put their money together to loan to one person at a time so they can afford something that will help them in their
Teaching Implications: One Hen is based off of the story of a man named Kwabena Darko who is from the Ashanti region in Ghana. The back of the book includes Kwabena’s story and how he was able to embrace his life’s challenges and make a difference in the world. The back of the book also includes information on what readers can do to help people who are in Kojo’s position. It is simple and could be used to introduce a social action project for a class in helping the communities around the world.
Throughout the book, the readers are introduced to illustrations and facts about the culture in Ghana and this book could be used to introduce the culture in Ghana.
Loan is a big theme throughout the book. One Hen could also be used to introduce what a loan is and how loans work. The readers are able to see clearly how loans help people and what they include.
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businesses. Kojo is able to borrow a small amount and decides that he is going buy one hen with the borrowed money. Kojo and his mother use the eggs from the hen to both eat and sell. Soon Kojo has earned enough money to pay his mother back the loan and buy more hens. After a year, he has twenty-five hens. The money that they receive for the eggs is enough to support both him and his mother so Kojo is able to return to school. Kojo continues to save money as he grows and attends university with the goal to build his own egg farm. Once he has graduated, he receives a loan from a kind bank and he builds a successful business that provides eggs for the whole town, jobs for people in the town, and also helps others start their own businesses. His business is prosperous and helps build up his country with strong independent people. Teaching Implications: One Hen is based off of the story of a man named Kwabena Darko who is from the Ashanti region in Ghana. The back of the book includes Kwabena’s story and how he was able to embrace his life’s challenges and make a difference in the world. The back of the book also includes information on what readers can do to help people who are in Kojo’s position. It is simple and could be used to introduce a social action project for a class in helping the communities around the world.
Throughout the book, the readers are introduced to illustrations and facts about the culture in Ghana and this book could be used to introduce the culture in Ghana.
Loan is a big theme throughout the book. One Hen could also be used to introduce what a loan is and how loans work. The readers are able to see clearly how loans help people and what they include.
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LibraryThing member danielleburry
A story of a young boy who purchases a hen in a lending system. The story follows him as he grows up and shows how lending that hen and the effect that it has on his family as well as others around him. A great book to show how things may occur in another culture as well as integrating the
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multicultural aspect into your classroom. Show Less
LibraryThing member dangerlibearian
Not for storytime, but great lesson. One loan, enough for a hen, ripples out to influence a whole community. One hen helps a country.
LibraryThing member pataustin
How often does one find "microfinance" as a keyword of a picture book? Though classified as fiction, the book is based on a true story of a man from Ghana, Kojo, who has a young boy helped support his family when his father died. Everyone in the village saves makes a loan to one person to launch a
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project. Then the next month, they can help another . Kojo buys one hen and from that hen, eggs to eat and eggs to sell, and money to buy another hen. That leads to greater profits for more hen so Kojo gets an education, and after school he gradually builds a poultry farm. This inspiring story would be valuable in an economics class or math class to understand the concept of profits. Show Less
LibraryThing member rcreamer10
Summary: Kojo is a boy living in Ghana with his mother who had to quit school to help his mother work after his father died. After Kojo's mother uses a loan to buy a cart to carry more firewood to the market to sell, Kojo uses the few coins left over to buy a hen. Little by little, Kojo sells a few
Genre Critique: This is a good example of realistic fiction, because the setting, characters, and events are all believable. The theme of the story is especially meaningful, showing how lives can be changed if you have a dream and stick with it over time with a lot of perseverance. Children will be able to relate to this idea, being inspired to work hard to help others. Even though the story involves fictional characters, aspects of the book are true to real life. This includes the poverty and way of life in Ghana, and the act of lending money from organizations to start businesses and get out of poverty.
Media: acrylic
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eggs at a time at the market. He slowly gains enough money to pay his mother back and buy a new hen. A year later, Kojo is able to own twenty-five hens, whose eggs he can sell to earn savings to buy a uniform and supplies to attend school. Kojo works very hard in school, and eventually is able to go to an agricultural college. After college, Kojo gets a loan to start his own poultry farm. Kojo eventually has his own family and a successful farm, with 120 people depending on wages from the farm. Kojo's farm helps his town and eventually his entire country grow as he sells his eggs and pays his workers. This is a truly inspirational story, showing how one small loan can make a big difference. Genre Critique: This is a good example of realistic fiction, because the setting, characters, and events are all believable. The theme of the story is especially meaningful, showing how lives can be changed if you have a dream and stick with it over time with a lot of perseverance. Children will be able to relate to this idea, being inspired to work hard to help others. Even though the story involves fictional characters, aspects of the book are true to real life. This includes the poverty and way of life in Ghana, and the act of lending money from organizations to start businesses and get out of poverty.
Media: acrylic
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LibraryThing member Cottonwood.School
Families in a Ghanan village pool their small savings into a community bank that makes loans available to members.
LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
This is a book that I obviously wouldn't normally read, but I ended up doing so through work. The lesson and message are extremely positive, the art well done, and the vocabulary and real-world information will definitely help a child expand their knowledge a bit. This is a book that can definitely
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lead to a great deal of conversation, and as such serves as a great reading choice with a child when you are looking to be able to discuss what you've read together and the meaning behind it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ksjeffcoat
I would read this book to all elementary age students because of its story line. This book talks about a young boy who saves money to help his mother out. He works hard selling eggs and eventually has enough money to go to school. The book is done in bright, realistic illustrations. At the end of
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the book it is revealed that the story is telling a true story. This story teaches things such as hard work and helping out one's community. Show Less
LibraryThing member AmandaLK
This is a beautiful and powerful biographical story of how one boy's loan starts a small business, and how it grows and grows to improve the lives of his family, his village, and his nation. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. It basically outlines why I want to get into education. I would
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love to use this book to teach about economics, entrepreneurship, the importance of education, and so many other social things. There are also areas for math discussions as his chicken farm is growing, room for predictions, and some room for cultural discussion about collectivist culture where everyone shares money like they did in the village, and why we don't use a system like that in America. Definitely geared for older students. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarahetuemmler
This is a story about a poor African family in a village in Ghana. They have an idea within the village to have each family promise to save a bit of money so that one family can borrow all the savings to buy something important. Kojo's family gets a turn and uses the money to buy a hen. He dreams
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about feeding his village with the eggs from the hen. Kojo begins to sell the eggs. He keeps buying hens with the money from his egg sales. Kojo then goes to school with the money he has made from the egg sales. Kojo takes out loans to go to college and eventually he builds his own farm, all with the money that he started with from selling the eggs. Kojo's farm is now the largest in Ghana. His business prospers and it prospers the whole country of Ghana. This book would be an example of realistic fiction because real events take place in this book that could happen in real life. He experiences college and builds his own business which are realistic events. Show Less
LibraryThing member MelissaKlatt
Summary: This book is about a young man in an African village who uses what little money he has to buy a hen. He uses the hen to sell eggs and eventually has enough money to buy more hens. He begins to sell more and more eggs until he gets an education. He then uses his new knowledge on marketing
Personal reflection: This book is very beneficial in teaching concepts like loans and banks. It also includes many economical concepts that are very important for students to know, like paying back loans and giving back to your community. The values in this book also reflect determination and the importance of saving money and using it for secure plans, and generosity.
Class use: I could use this book in the classroom as an informational text on units about money and checking and banking. Loans are important in the real world so I think that is where my focus would lie for this book. I could use it in a text set on the importance of education and schooling as well.
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to take a loan to buy a farm and sell his own eggs from all of the hens he has. He ends up attending college and giving back to his small village.Personal reflection: This book is very beneficial in teaching concepts like loans and banks. It also includes many economical concepts that are very important for students to know, like paying back loans and giving back to your community. The values in this book also reflect determination and the importance of saving money and using it for secure plans, and generosity.
Class use: I could use this book in the classroom as an informational text on units about money and checking and banking. Loans are important in the real world so I think that is where my focus would lie for this book. I could use it in a text set on the importance of education and schooling as well.
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LibraryThing member sommerkirk
This book is a biography based off of a true story of a boy named Kojo. When Kojo was young, his family received a loan to help improve the way they lived. With the loan that his family received, Kojo bought a hen. Kojo used this hen to collect eggs and sell the eggs, and by selling the eggs Kojo
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was able to buy more hens. Kojo became very interested in farming and with the money he was raising started going to school. Eventually he decided he wanted to be a farmer and that he needed to go to college. With the money that Kojo had been earning all along with his hens, he was about to go ot college and graduate and build chicken coops. To fill the chicken coops Kojo went to the bank and took out a loan to buy more chickens. Eventually all of the work Kojo did in the community helped stimulate Ghana's economy, and provided many people with jobs, and changed the entire country. This book was very touching and heartwarming. Show Less
LibraryThing member amassingale
This book is a biography of the life of a boy named Kojo. When Kojo was a young boy, his family got a loan to help improve their life. With this loan, Kojo bought a small hen. With that hen, he sold the eggs and collected money over time to the point where he owned 25 hens, and had enough money to
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go back to school. Once back in school Kojo learned about farming, and he was inspired. He wanted to build a chicken farm to raise more money, but first he needed to go to college. With the money that his mother and him raised with the hens, he earned enough money to go to college. After graduation, Kojo used all of his money to buy land and to build chicken coops. After the coops were built he realized that he needed 900 hens. He went to the bank and got a loan and bought 900 chickens. After years of hard work, he had changed the whole country of Ghana. This book showed that with a dream and hard work, anything is possible. I would read this to my students at the end of the year, or before testing. To give them motivation and to show them that school is important and that a lot of things can happen with a dream. Show Less
LibraryThing member wichitafriendsschool
Inspired by true events, One Hen tells the story of Kojo, After his father died, Kojo had to quit school to help his mother collect firewood to sell at the market. When his mother receives a loan from some village families, she gives a little money to her son. With this tiny loan, Kojo buys a hen.
Kojo's story is inspired by the life of Kwabena Darko, who as a boy started a tiny poultry farm just like Kojo's, which later grew to be the largest in Ghana, and one of the largest in west Africa. Kwabena also started a trust that gives out small loans to people who cannot get a loan from a bank. The final pages of One Hen explain the microloan system and include a list of relevant organizations for children to explore.
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This story tells how from one hen, Kojo built the largest poultry farm in the region.Kojo's story is inspired by the life of Kwabena Darko, who as a boy started a tiny poultry farm just like Kojo's, which later grew to be the largest in Ghana, and one of the largest in west Africa. Kwabena also started a trust that gives out small loans to people who cannot get a loan from a bank. The final pages of One Hen explain the microloan system and include a list of relevant organizations for children to explore.
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LibraryThing member sschreur
Good book for introducing children to micro loans, responsibility and frugality, and what it takes to be a citizen of the world! Definitely fit for older kids; could conceivably be used in a middle school social studies class.
Awards
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2011)
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 3-5 — 2009)
Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction (Honour Book — 2009)
Children's Africana Book Award (Winner — 2009)
Massachusetts Book Award (Must-Read (Longlist) — 2009)
Skipping Stones Honor Award (2008)
Silver Birch Express Award (Nominee — 2009)
Rocky Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2010)
Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2009)
Great Reads from Great Places (Massachusetts — 2009)
ISBN
9781554530281