Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
March 1, 2014/in Fiction 8-10 Junior/Middle /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 205 March 2014
Reviewer: Gill Robins
ISBN: 978-1780745343
Price: £8.99
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 8-10 Junior/Middle
Length: 144pp
  • Translated by: Chi-Young Kim
Buy the Book

The Hen who Dreamed She Could Fly

Author: Sun-Mi HwangIllustrator: Kazuko Nomoto

Sprout is a hen whose only desire and hope in life is to raise her own chick. From the coop in which she lays her daily eggs, Sprout can almost taste the freedom that she sees in the barnyard. Then one anxious day, when the end of her egg laying days means certain death, Sprout unexpectedly finds herself free and on the run. The barnyard, she discovers, is not the happy place which she had anticipated, but a place of hierarchies, prejudice and fear.

Undeterred, Sprout forms a strong friendship with Straggler the duck and when his mate falls prey to the ever-present threat of the weasel, Sprout hatches her egg and adopts the duckling. She is a loving, loyal and courageous mother, determined to raise Baby in the face of adversity. Her end comes in a glorious act of self-sacrifice which buys freedom for her duckling, now grown and able to fly away.

Although the anthropomorphic tale is a well-worn genre, and although the translation can sometimes stilt the narrative flow, this is a moving and heart-warming tale about family, growing up, life and death. The themes are manifold and form a dense subtext – it is difficult to define it as solely modern fable as it is also a metaphor for brave motherhood.

Translated from its original language of Korean, it has sold more than two million copies worldwide. It would be enjoyed by confident readers as an animal story in its own right, but it has also developed a wider audience with older readers who are drawn into its underlying complexity.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2014-03-01 01:00:192021-10-15 13:35:31The Hen who Dreamed She Could Fly

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Choice and reading relevant to their interests = reading for pleasure

June 11, 2025

Ross Montgomery wins the 2025 FCBG Children’s Book Award

June 7, 2025

Michael Rosen and Emily Gravett IBBY UK nominations for Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2026

June 4, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone Eliza Boom’s Diary: My Explosive Adventure
Scroll to top