Hen's Pens

Usborne Phonics Readers

by Phil Roxbee Cox

Hen loves to draw patterns, especially zig zags, but she goes overboard and gets all the eggs on the farm mixed up.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Teaching

16 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2001

Reviews

[Lev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that the hen was drawing zig zags on the eggs and they hatched as snakes.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have heard really good things about Usborne books and saw a stack of these at a garage sale and so I bought them for my toddler. They are billed as "easy readers" and contain a phonics guide for parents that I don't even pay attention to, but could be helpful if I was teaching my son about phonetics. The pictures are colorful and the words rhyme. But, I have found that every story is rather dumb and some of the stories don't even make sense. I do plan on keeping these for when he starts reading because they do use words that are easy to read. Just wish the story was better.

[Jessica Chisom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Usborne phonics readers are bright and attractive with a fun flip out pages. This book is all about the "en" sound. A fun story. Hen has markers. NEW markers. What can she draw on. She starts on paper, but that runs outs. There seem to be a great deal of eggs around. Let's draw on them. This ends in a very funny mix-up.
The back of the book gives a vocabulary list and notes the words that do not follow the phonics rules. (Drat the fact the the English language has so many exceptions.)

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss 4 prefers this earlier set of Usborne phonics with the fold-out flaps and a focus on a specific phonic sound throughout the text.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hen loves using her new pens of different colours, so much that she uses all her paper to mark her favourite designs on. Cow suggests drawing on her eggs, but Hen runs out of those too and goes to draw on all other eggs she finds in the henhouse. Funny ending. Great illustrations with a little duck hidden in each scene. This is a phonics reader and inside the front cover is information on phonics.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and silly book.

[Lex Redding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this little rhyming book, though it wasn't bub's favourite (he was super tired).

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s like a set of Easter eggs and now they are pumped to decorate eggs this year, which we haven’t done in a few Easters.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was alrite

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very simple easy reader starring an artistic hen who decorates various items around her fantasy barnyard home. The conclusion has her vividly decorating eggs with bright colors.

[Debbie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent rhyming pattern for easy reading

[Hm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice

[Sudaporn Obom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending has a clever twist, and I really enjoy the humor!

[Erin Hannas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for children and it has so many line patterns like zigzags straight lines and curves this book is great for kids +usborne is great.

[Mom_reading_childrens_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read aloud and delightful illustrations, like the rest of the series

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phonics books can be dull. Here though they have inspired the author to invent a zigzag inspired hen and some mixed up eggs. The science is wrong though. Snake eggs are flexible and leathery and could not be mixed up with a hen’s.

[Danie Cutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, easy words for children learning to read. Like the fact that while it uses phonics there are also "patterns" for the words eg Goose and Loose so is suited to pattern recognition methods of learning to read as well.

Have bought the whole series as daughter loves these. While the words are simple there's still enough of a story/action to keep her interested (just) while too many early reading books are three word sentences, one sentence per page and only a few pages per book.

This set of books is top of the learn to read books we've come across so far.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty silly phrasing comes from stretching as many rhymes as possible. Cameron did not mind, and picked this book four times in a row! (Probably would have been 5+, but I am tired of reading it and suggested a short break.) Adorable illustrations of hen enjoying her ten new pens and her favorite activity, drawing zigzags. Soon all of the eggs are a colorful jumble!

[Vinitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My little girl picked it up at the library drawn by the illustrations and foldouts. But she was not teribbly impressed by the book. It was an ok book. I liked how they had an yellow duck in each page and it was great hunting for it

[Sarah Jost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for kids that are learning to read. It is a board book and it has flip up pages on each page. There is a lot of rhyming words which kids will enjoy when they are listening to it being read, and will also help as they are starting to read it themselves.

[Sarah Ashburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the phonics books that I looked at for children. Once again this looks at the sounds of words. I really liked this book and I think it would be a good way of introducing some activities. This would help a new reader tremendously. Good phonics book!

[Matthew Ridley · Rating 3 out of 5]

So she colors on her eggs - which is weird. She colors everybody ELSE's - if they have any eggs. The chicken's eggs and one is Jake Snake's egg - it turns out to be.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for a new reader.

Excerpt from the book:
"Hen has new pens. She has ten new pens.
'When will you use your new pens, Hen?'
'Now, Brown Cow!'"

[krym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moral? Ask permission first if you don't want a snake on your nest! Good for early readers. Kinda fun!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ATOS 1.1