Hens for Friends

Hens for Friends written by Sandy De Lisle and illustrated by Amelia Hansen (2015)

Aaron and his family keep six hens in their backyard. They made a special henhouse with a fenced area for them to wander without getting hurt. Aaron helps to keep the yard clean and collects the eggs everyday. But Aaron has a favorite hen, Margaret. Margaret likes to sit in Aaron’s lap or fly to the top of his head. Aaron takes special care of Margaret and marks her eggs with a pencil so he knows which one is hers. On his brother’s birthday, Aaron uses one of Margaret’s eggs to make the cake. He tells his brother that when he gets older, he will know how much fun it can be to have hens for friends.

 

This story is fun for older picture book readers to enjoy alone or with a friend, maybe a pet like Margaret. Talk about taking care of pets and especially about taking care of chickens.

What fun can you have with chickens?

Although the hens in this story lay unfertilized eggs, knowing the life cycle of a chicken is an important science concept. This is an easy crafty one to make with younger readers.