Recenka și ouăle de Paști

by Patricia Polacco, Camelia Vida-Rațiu (Translator)

Într-o zi de iarnă, o gâscă sălbatică se prăbușește în curtea unei băbuțe. Dar Babușca nu e o băbuță oarecare, nici gâsca nu e obișnuită. Babușca pictează cele mai frumoase ouă de Paști, iar gâsca... ei bine, gâsca are și ea un dar foarte special.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Russia, Fiction, Holiday, Animals, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 1988

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babushka is an old lady who lives by herself in Russia. She paints eggs and at Easter time, she wins the contest because her eggs are the best. One snowy night she is out walking and a goose falls from the sky hurt. She takes it in and helps it heal. One day the goose breaks all her eggs and she will not go to the festival, but then a miracle happens and the goose begins to lay colored eggs. Babushka drains the eggs and takes them to the festival where she wins again with the eggs.

It's an interesting story. This is a Reading Rainbow book and those are usually excellent books and this is no exception. The artwork is intricate with the eggs and colors. The famous Moscow building (I forget the name) is also pictured in this story. The eggs are pretty, but the rest of the artwork isn't all that great.

I didn't know this was an Easter story, but it's a good book to read for Easter. It's about miracles.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to my Goodreads friend, Debbie, who called my attention to this children’s book!

It’s a sweet story about an older Russian babushka who decorated eggs with intricate designs to sell at the fair. One day Babushka found an injured goose in her yard and nursed it back to health. The grateful goose repaid Babushka in the most unusual, loving way….

This charming story would appeal to all ages!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, so cute. This is a lovely fantasy story. It’s about a woman who paints award winning Ukrainian painted eggs. She saves a goose wounded by a hunter, and this delightful story goes from there. In order to avoid spoilers, I can’t really say much about what happens, but it’s a sweet story with a sweet ending. The illustrations of the painted eggs are wondrous, as are the illustrations of the caribou, geese, woman, the woman’s dwelling, and the festival. There’s a lovely, not too heavy handed, moral about showing kindness and about reciprocity. A special cross species friendship is shown.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was reading Patricia Polacco’s books, I was interested in knowing more about how Patricia Polacco studied Russian and Greek iconographic history in the Royal Melbourne Institute, which along with her interest in painting Ukrainian eggs, inspired her to create this story! “Rechenka’s Eggs” is a Russian tale by Patricia Polacco about how a talented old lady named Babushka finds an injured goose one night and she soon discovers that the goose now named Rechenka, lays eggs that are not your ordinary eggs! “Rechenka’s Eggs” is a truly heartwarming story about true friendship that every child will easily enjoy!

Wow! This book was simple amazing! Patricia Polacco has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this wonderful book about true friendship! Patricia Polacco’s illustrations are truly beautiful and much different from her other books as the humans in this book has pale white faces with realistic facial designs while their clothing and all the animals are done in colors, which truly made the illustrations much more effective to look at. The illustrations that I truly loved were of Babushka’s eggs as they were truly colorful and creative and I also loved Babushka’s facial expressions as they show the true wisdom in Babushka. Patricia Polacco’s writing is truly heartwarming and I loved the friendship that developed between Babushka and Rechenka as they are connected towards each other through Rechenka’s eggs and the eggs made the twosome much closer towards each other in relationship. I also loved the fact that Patricia Polacco based Babushka’s eggs on her research dealing with Ukrainian eggs and I also loved how Patricia Polacco reinvented ancient Moscow and its festivals as these events and the landscapes made the story much more memorable.

Parents should know that there is a brief image of blood in this book as Rechenka briefly has drops of blood on her wing although this image is not really too graphic and it is just a small blot of blood. However, parents should try to reassure their children about the idea of Rechenka being shot.

Overall, “Rechenka’s Eggs” is a truly beautiful book for children who love reading about ancient Russia and who enjoy reading about Easter. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up due to the brief image of blood.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely Easter tale with a Russian flavor. The decorated eggs are gorgeous, and the tale of enjoying the miracles of spring is touching and timely.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Known far and wide for her gorgeous pysanky - Ukrainian Easter eggs, decorated with intricate patterns, and gorgeous colors - Babushka was preparing for the great Moscow Easter Festival, when she happened upon an injured goose near her house. Naming her new anserine friend Rechenka, Babushka brought the goose home, and nursed her back to health. Then, disaster struck, and it seemed as if all of Babushka's painstaking work over the past year, in creating her pysanky, had been in vain. Was her dream of once again triumphing at the Festival over? Or was there a miracle in store - a miracle in which Rechenka could play a part...?

Although I was a little put off by the geographic confusion here - pysanky are Ukrainian, and so (one presumes) is Babushka, although she lives in a dacha just outside Moscow (?) - I found Rechenka's Eggs a very engaging tale, otherwise. Babushka is an endearing heroine - her compassion, and ability to see the miraculous in the everyday events around her, are immensely appealing. Polacco's artwork did seem a little...off to me (a slightly different color scheme than usual, perhaps?), which made more sense, when I noted that this title was originally published in 1988, and is one of the author/artist's earliest books. I must just be used to her later style. All in all, although it won't ever rank amongst my favorite Patricia Polacco books, Rechenka's Eggs is still an appealing story for Easter time, and for anyone who appreciates those marvelous pysanky!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are slowly making our way through Patricia Polacco's books. We picked this one out because of the gorgeously decorated eggs on the cover; we wanted to compare this story with the book The Easter Egg Farm we've recently read. The stories were very different, but have a similar plot twist that is fantastic and pretty much impossible.

We most enjoyed the cultural references to Ukraine (like the native pronounciation of Moscow as Moskva, the religious icon, and the onion-domed buildings) and the surprise ending. Great book to read aloud at Easter or to learn a little more about Ukranian culture.

This book was mentioned in the June, July, August 2025 -- The Ukraine and Ukrainians discussion in the Fiction Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the ending but didn't think there was much to story over all.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed looking at the beautifully decorated Russian eggs that Babushka painted. The story is favorable though the miracle eggs are never explained and hunters are not looked upon too kindly, haha.

Ages: 4 - 8

#easter #eastereggs #geography #asia #russia #culture

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[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old Russian tale of kind old woman Babushka and her beautiful painted eggs. Babushka's eggs are so beautiful that they win the competition in Moskva every year. One winter day Babushka finds an injured goose which she names Rechenka and brings into her home to nurse back to health. Rechenka lays eggs for Babushka's breakfast, but one day she jumps up on Babushka's work table, upsetting Babushka's paints and ruining her eggs. What can Rechenka do to make up for this? It's a beautifully illustrated story of life in another land at another time, but its theme of kindness and friendship is both universal and timeless.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story about Babushka, the goose she nursed back to health, art, and miracles. Not only is it set at Easter and about Easter eggs (and food), it's about parting (ascension?) and new life and a comforter left in place. (Not that Rechenka is a Christ figure, but the themes!) I loved Polacco's colorful, intricate yet simplistic illustrations, and judiciously placed icons. A great story for the Easter Octave.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco is of Russian/Ukrainian ancestry and loves to share her heritage with her young readers. Her story is delightful and meaninful and her illustrations perfect. As in the story, Patricia likes to paint decorative Ukrainian eggs. This would be a wonderful story to share with children before decorating Easter eggs. But in truth it's wonderful to share at any time.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for the first time to my daughter in a doctor's waiting room and was ridiculously touched. The words and the gorgeous illustrations seamlessly and equally convey a beautiful, simple message that no one can read too much. LOVE this book. One of my faves.

[Amy Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystical book about a goose laying magically decorated eggs. Second Patricia Polacco book of the day. We enjoy her books, but it was not lost on me that both of our selections today had a subtle dig against bird-hunting.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful Russian children's fantasy story relates the story of new life at Easter through the eyes of Old Babushka. Ms. Polacco's illustrations definitely add to the enjoyment of this book.

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the cultural and mythical elements along with these stunningly colored illustrations. A great book for Easter.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had intended to read this for Easter but the person who had it checked out at the library turned it in too late and it didn't have time to come in before Easter, so I'm reading it late. I love Ukrainian eggs and have bought some so I thought this book would be nice to read.

The illustrations were okay. I didn’t dislike them but I didn’t really like them either. Babushka herself though was too realistic, and her body was left gray and not colored which was a weird choice. All of the people were like that and I didn't get or like it.

I liked the page with the gray and brown caribou with these big white snowflakes falling in the air, and over their bodies.

I was shocked to see a page with a goose falling from the sky, blood dripping from its wing after a hunter shot it. You usually don't see blood in a children's book.

It was sweet that she took it in though, and put a bandage on its wing. She named the goose Rechenka so that's what the title meant.

I knew babushka is grandmother in Russian and niet is no, but otherwise I wouldn't have known because the author had no translation for these words in another language! That always blows my mind.

The goose laid eggs every day as thanks, until one day when it went on the table and knocked her paint and eggs over. They broke into "millions" of pieces. I don't think so. I think dozens would be more accurate. But she couldn't go to the festival since her eggs were ruined.

But the next morning she found a beautifully decorated egg in the goose's basket. The goose looked cute, with its head hanging down like it was contrite about what it had done.

I've heard a bit about making eggs so I already knew you had to cut a hole in the egg, but not that you cut the top and bottom and blew threw one hole to get the yolk out. She drained the liquid to make an egg with. For 12 mornings there was a beautiful egg for her, enough to replace the ones that had broken.

It always confuses me when authors go off with these details that don't make for great readings or that wouldn't capture a kid's attention. I always picture a read-aloud and authors just lose the audience when they go too into detail on irrelevant details. For ex, when she mentioned Babushka brewing tea and eating kulich, sweet Easter bread, and pashka, a cheese, butter, and raisin spread. I felt my own attention wandering.

I was sweet how Babushka shared the food with Rechenka, fed one bite for herself and one for Rechenka. Babushka said she would miss her but it was a miracle she had her and it wouldn't be right to ask her to stay.

I couldn't believe she took the eggs to the festival as her own, like she had made them when she didn't. I was surprised the goose let her do that because it's dishonest. It wasn't fair to the women who made their own eggs and didn't have a magical goose to help them out.

On the way to the festival she found caribou mothers and calves and marveled at the miracle of new life. It isn't really the way kids think; that's a pretty adult, mature observation to have.

Everyone liked her eggs the best and she won a quilt. At home a beautiful egg was left in the basket but Rechenka was gone. This egg hatched a baby goose that she kept for her own.

I didn't really get this story, what the point was or anything. It was random and unexplained and seems to have no real purpose or message. We don't know anything about the goose, where it came from or what it was, how it made those colored eggs.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was on the hold list for this, but the person turned it in too late, so I didn’t get to read it until after Easter, which was kind of a bummer.

The people were a little creepy in here. They were drawn with a pencil while everything else looked painted. They were black and white and the rest was in color so it looked a little odd. Their features were weird-looking too, sort of troll-like.

The goose having been shot and fell out of the sky was a bit much for a kid's book. You can see blood on it, too, from the wound.

Babushka worked on decorating eggs through the winter, but one day Rechenka accidentally knocked them off the table and shattered them. It was a horrible occurrence and it meant she wouldn't have anything to take to the festival. I didn't know how it would be rectified, and then Rechenka starts laying painted eggs.
I thought it was kinda wrong that Babushka won the egg contest with eggs she didn't make. Her friends thought 'her eggs are the most beautiful in all Russia' but they weren't really hers. She wins a quilt, which I thought would play into something later, that she would give it to Rechenka, but nope, she just put the quilt on the bed.

This ended up surprisingly touching. I was sad that Rechenka left her and wondered why she couldn’t stay with her as a pet, but the consolation is that her last gift to Babushka was a baby goose that stayed with her always. But I wondered if when it grew up it would migrate by instinct, and if so, then she could have just kept Rechenka, since they were so close. And the fact that it was some kind of magical-egg-laying goose.

I really like how Babushka took the goose in, helped it recover, and fed it from the table, the same food she was eating. And how she fed the reindeer. How she called the newborn reindeer a miracle and at the end said the present Rechenka left her was "all a miracle." She seemed very appreciate of nature.

I had been wanting Ukranian eggs for years; I love the detail and the color of them. I finally got some--not traditional Ukranian eggs, but painted ones nonetheless--a couple years ago.
This story captured the process of making them, how you drill two holes, one in the top, one at the bottom, and blow the yolk out.

It was nice hearing the author is of Ukrainian and Georgian descent, so the story felt more authentic.

I wasn't crazy about the artwork; sort of old-fashioned looking. Some of the illustrations looked like they were colored with markers and others were pencil drawings.
There was no background, just white space on many of the pages, which I find liking.
The palace was made of wood in one picture and then you flip the page and it's full of color. I wasn't sure if it was the same place or what.
On the back cover of the book was a small blue building that wasn't in the book itself.

I'm not sure what I thought this would be about, but it ended up different from what I expected. This is definitely not a traditional Easter tale. There was mention of an Easter festival, but the most Easter-like thing in here is eggs. This didn’t really have an Easter feel to it.
I also feel like there could have been more context, like on how the goose was able to lay decorated eggs.
2.5 stars for the sweet ending.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this at Triple Oaks nursery in Franklinville, NJ. I had taken a craft lesson with the nursery to learn how to make Russian eggs. I was no good at the task, but purchased this wonderful story nonetheless.
****

Polacco can tell a story. Here she spins a new spool off the old yarn of goose who laid a golden egg. Set in oldtime Russia, the babushka's kindness is rewarded. Such lovely illustrations that accompany the text!
****
My students really took to this story this year. It's nice to be able to project the pages with a document reader. The students followed the tale and it was awesome hearing the gasps at the end when they realized what the goose had left for babushka!

I love when learning takes place!
****
Read this with the children prior to dying eggs. Fritz liked the egg with the cross on it. Perhaps he will end up being the priest I secretly hope he becomes. Beetle read a little bit of it aloud.

Precious moments here . . .



****
The memories continue. Tiger Scouts this evening was just Fritz and me. Before we dyed eggs, I read this story to him. We really enjoyed talking about it. This is a wonderful story. "A miracle," as Polacco would write.
****
This used to be a yearly read. Definitely, it was not read last year, but I think it's been a few years now. Not exactly certain why.

This year is just as twisted as last. Today being the last day before our spring break, I thought I would read this to my full class of six students.

We got about halfway when we had to stop for something else. As soon as that was over, instead of wanting some downtime, the students begged for the story to continue. They are so hungry for normalcy, school, learning. COVID has taken the soul out of the educational process. I was more than willing to accommodate them.

Fabulous story and the art is spectacular!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Patricia Polacco's older picture books, published in 1988 and set in rural Russia. Kind-hearted Babushka spends many hours painting eggs that she plans to bring to the Easter Festival. She's delighted by the approach of the caribou and nurses back to health a wounded goose that she names Rechenka. She knows that the goose will join the other birds once it has healed, but before it does so, it accidentally ruins her paints and cracks the eggs she has painstakingly embellished. These eggs, a miraculous gift from Rechenka, enable Babushka to win a prize at the festival, and when she returns home, she realizes that her goose is gone, but she has left something behind for the elderly woman. I simply adore this sweet, sweet story even if its outcome is entirely predictable, and I love the illustrations, fashioned in part with colored markers, since they show the loveliness of the eggs but also her age and the toll time has taken on her eyesight. In almost every illustration the old woman is shown squinting or relying on half of a pair of broken eyeglasses to do the close work needed in painting those incredibly detailed designs on her eggs. It's astonishing how much emotion these illustrations contain, and how much of the woman's story is hinted at through them.

[Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE EASTER GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Charmingly told and illustrated this gem reads like a Russian fairy tale. I had the privilage of hearing this gifted author speak at a seminar in CA, so I was eager to enjoy her talents first hand. Old Babushka (Granny) is famous in the environs of Moscow for her prize-winning decorated Easter eggs. When she shows compassion and rescues an injured goose she is rewarded by an egg each day--bigger than normal chicken eggs too. However, upon recuperation the clumsy (?)creature, whom she has named Rechenka, breaks all the eggs Babushka was saving to take to the fair. Stilll this goose knows how to express her gratitude and starts laying very special eggs indeed.

Complemented by Pollacco's brilliant and dazzling pictures of exotic folkloric dress and fantastically-decorated eggs this story is a delight to children who are being read to or who can read by themselves. The joy of Easter radiates from every page. Compassion deserves Gratitude--even between disparate species. A treasure for "children" of all ages!


(September 11, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Travis Unterseher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review:
Rechenka's Eggs is a Russian folk tale about an older woman, painted eggs and a goose. The art work in this book was very interesting, a reader could tell that this style of art is from the Eastern part of the world. While reading one picks up that this book is about a folk tale that I;m guessing was passed down from generation to generation in Russia. One also gets to see into the life of people form these places.

Content Areas:
I would use this book to make connections with children about different cultures and maybe some similarities and differences in each. This would be a perfect opportunity to show students that where we live is just a small part of the world.

Comp Questions:

Q:What was the Gooses Name?
A:Rechenka

Q:Why did the goose end up living with Babushka?
A:The goose was injured by hunters.

Q:What did the goose leave Babushka before she flew off?
A:The goose left here an egg that hatched and would stay with her.

Children's Wonders:

Can a goose really live in a house?
What does she paint with?
why does the one castle look like its made of candy?

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a remarkable story about an elderly woman who can make very beautiful drawing and painting on egg shells. She makes them to sell at the market. one day she finds a goose and makes friends with her... but once the goose gets better she destroys all of her eggs so she has nothing to sell. But something wonderful happens each day the goose lays the most beautiful decorated eggs for the woman. The women although doesn't want to knows that the goose needs to be turned back out to the wild but after she does turn her loose...she realizes the goose left her a gift...a wonderful gift. This is a Reading Rainbow book.

This story is more for an older child not really a toddler or beginning reader. My 2 year old granddaughter did sit still and listen through the story but did start getting 'squirmy' toward the end. So if a child isn't used to sitting and listening or doesn't have a long attention span then this book wouldn't hold their attention. But it is a very charming book.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that emphasizes the importance of caring for all creatures. The woman in this story rescues an injured goose and nurses the goose back to health. During their first encounter, the goose accidentally destroys the delicate eggs that the woman has been decorating for a local fair. The woman fears that she will not be able to decorate more eggs in time for the festival but the goose repays the woman's kindness and lays several beautiful eggs for her.
I love the message in this book because emphasizes the importance of taking care of animals. I am an animal lover so this book strikes a cord with me. The book is illustrated in a way that highlights the beauty of the traditionally decorated eggs. This book also teaches the reader about the author's heritage and family traditions.

[Janet Balletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely Russian story of a Babushka (grandmother in Russian) who lives in the woods. The story takes place just before Easter. One morning, Babushka goes outside and finds a goose who has been shot by hunters. Babushka takes the goose home to nurse it back to health and names her Rechenka. In the meantime, Babushka is busy painting beautiful eggs for the Easter Festival and Rechenka accidently breaks all of the eggs. Everything seems lost until Rechenka begins laying extraordinary eggs for Babushka to replace the ones she destroyed. On the day of the festival, Babushka takes her magnificent eggs into town and wins the prize. When Babushka comes home she's sad because the fully recovered Rechenka has flown away but not before leaving her the best egg.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polacco is of Russian/Ukrainian heritage. Many of her books hold the title Babushka (word for grandmother). This book centers of the love of nature, caring for the wild, and embracing talents. Taught years ago, Babushka continues the love of painting beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs. Wehn Rechenka, a wounded goose enters her life, she cares for her. Unfortuantely, after she finishes a basket of hand painted eggs, Rechenka mistakenly breaks them.

To repay her misdeed, Rechenka provides one multicolored egg each day to Babushka. When she is healed and must fly away, she leaves a special egg -- one that hatches, leaving a lovely baby gooseling who will stay with Babushka.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't quite know why, but I loved this sweet tale of colourful eggs, generous hearts and exquisite illustrations. My Miss 11 can't put her finger on it either but she expressed great joy following the initial reading; 'I really loved that!'. Polacco has created an interesting (because it has the flavour of Old Moscow about it), heart warming (because small fluffy creatures are involved) and memorable (the painted beauty of her old Babushaka's eggs are unforgettable) tale that resounds with classic timelessness and a slight Zen quality. A lovely glimpse at some of the miracles of life so often over looked and a pleasing affirmation of humanity.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lonely old woman rescues an injured wild goose and nurses her back to health. Every day the goose lays an egg for the old woman. The old woman is known for and has won contests for her extraordinary painted eggs. One day the goose accidently breaks her painted eggs ; the old woman is upset because she was going to enter them in a contest. From that day on, the goose lays an extraordinarily beautiful egg every day which the lady enters in the contest and wins. The goose is healed and flies off with the other geese, but she leaves a present for the lady before she goes.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babushka is known by all for her beautiful painted eggs. She plans to enter a basket of the painted eggs for the Easter Festival. One snowy night, Babushka discovers a hurt goose and she takes the creature in, naming her Rechenka. The two are bonding and everything seems to great until Rechenka accidentally breaks all of Babushka Festival eggs. But, the next day Babushka is surprised by a miracle. Will she still be able to enter the Festival? What will happen to Rechenka when she heals?

Great story. Amazing illustrations.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Patricia Polacco's books. This one is a favorite. We read it every Easter season. Being of Ukrainian decent, I love to read her stories because my kids can relate since our language & culture is similar. It's nice to have that written down.

For the same reason, I love Jan Brett's "The Mitten." It's a classic Ukrainian folk tale retold.

Using the words Babuska & Baba for Grandmother, just as my kids do for my Mother, is nice. None of their American friends have heard the word before, & they get excited to see it in a book.