The Hen Dreamed She Could Fly | Sun Mi-Hwang | Reviewed by Ria

The Hen Dreamed She Could Fly | Sun Mi-Hwang | Reviewed by Ria

• Wednesday 17 September 2014

This is the story of a little hen named Sprout who dreams of the open spaces the lie beyond the barn she resides. Unhappy with her lot in life simply laying eggs for the farmer and his wife to sell at market, she conspires to escape to the outside world where the other animals are able to roam free. And once outside the barn doors and farmyard fences she plans to finally hatch an egg of her own.

So what’s my verdict?

Short and sweet pretty much sums up my feelings about this one. ’The Hen…’ is a fable style tale following our plucky protagonist Sprout and her journey to the outside of the barn. Once out she encounters a number of other animals including the duck, the rooster, a whole myriad of other farm animals and the creeping weasel. As the English-language translation of the Korean folk story, ’The Hen…’ reads as a morality tale with themes of the importance of family, tradition, friendship and unconditional love. Behind the lovelier story of Sprout discovering the open spaces outside the barn and her dreams of freedom and motherhood, there are also are darker tones of the harshness of reality, loss of loved ones and the dangers of straying too far from home.
Ultimately Sun Mi-Hwang’s story is a heart-warming tale of the bravery of a little hen with big, bold dreams.

I also wanted to highlight the gorgeous illustration both on the cover and within the book itself, which is what really caught my eye with this one, and provides a perfect accompaniment to this little tale.

Soundtrack:

Will You Be Me?: Kimya Dawson; Never Grow Up: Taylor Swift; Keep Breathing: Ingrid Michaelson; Little Bird: Ed Sheeran; How: Regina Spektor; Home: Phillip Phillips

For lovers of…Babe, The Ugly Duckling & Charlotte’s Web

This post was written by regular reviewer Ria, get to know her here.