The hard-working women of a small Icelandic village get some chickens so they can have eggs -- but the chickens decide they would rather mimic what the women do all day instead of laying eggs! Can the women come up with a solution for this problem?

I like this book for representing another country/culture for young readers, although it's unclear during which time period this is taking place. In addition, I like that the women get to be the protagonists/heroes, although it also is clear that tasks in this village are strictly divided by gender lines (which I am less of a fan of, especially for showing to young children). Their plan to help with their chicken problem shows ingenuity, thinking outside the box, and persistence.

The illustrations are a little more cartoony than I usually prefer, but I do appreciate that the women are not stick-figure thin.

Overall, a mixed bag of good things and not-so-good things with this book. ( )

The ladies of Iceland have a problem: the birds lay their eggs in nooks on the sides of steep cliffs, so the ladies have a very difficult time getting any of the eggs for baking. They go to town to buy chickens to lay eggs for them instead. For a while, everyone is happy: there are plenty of eggs to bake plenty of yummy things. But the ladies' problems are far from solved, for the more time the chickens spend with the ladies, the more they begin to act like them too, until eventually they stop laying eggs all together. Now this is a problem indeed, but you can be sure, the clever ladies will find a solution. Full of fun and silliness, this lighthearted tale and vibrant illustrations are a delight.

weird story, good images reflect styles of parent culture, simple language ( )

Funny and adorable. ( )

Fun, Fun! When a village of women find that the eggs on the ledges are too hard to come by they buy some chickens, but the chickens start to have other things on their mind other then laying eggs. In a spirited way the ladies and the chickens work together to become friends. ( )