The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly

 

Found myself caught up in this short novel that follows the progress of Sprout, a hen who hatches a duckling's egg, allegorical in nature the narrative is full of depictions of the harshness of the yard she lives in, under the constant threat of the weasels and the eyes of the farmer and his wife, all she wants is to break the bonds of her existence, and to look after her adopted sibling - baby, later renamed Greentop. Through this tale of survival and loss, the story of Sprout struggles against the oppressive forces of convention. Translated by Chi-Young Kim, (more information on her translations), the book also contains inter-chapter illustrations by Japanese illustrator Nomoco - Kazuko Nomoto, also illustrator of Gina Ochsner's People I Wanted To Be. The book originally appeared in 2000 and has sold over two million copies, the inside cover likens it to Orwell's Animal Farm, it's a fantastically absorbing fable. 

 

One World

 

Penguin (U.S.A)

 

video via Penguin Korea