Don't Count Your Chicks

by Ingri d'Aulaire, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

This delightful storybook by the incomparable d’Aulaires, based on a poem by Hans Christian Andersen, will charm a whole new generation of little readers

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, as the saying goes—but what about counting your eggs?! A woman with a good little house, a cat and a dog, and a fine hen who lays an egg every day (and even with a rooster who crows as if he’d laid the egg) sets off for town with a basket of fresh eggs. How much will she get for them? the woman wonders. Soon she is dreaming and scheming and beaming, counting the eggs and the coins they will fetch . . .  and the hens the money will buy . . . and the eggs the new hens will lay! What bounty those eggs will bring her!  She will buy two geese and a little lamb, which will give her wool . . . why not? Wait and see what happens in this playful take on a beloved Hans Christian Andersen poem. A true classic, Don’t Count Your Chicks brings a timeless story to vivid life with all the old-world charm, humor, and brilliant colors that have made so many of the d’Aulaires’ children’s books perennial favorites.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Ingri d'Aulaire (1904-1980) was an American children's artist and illustrator, who worked in collaboration with her husband and fellow artist, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. Born Ingri Mortenson in Kongsburg, Norway, she studied art in Norway, Germany and France, and met Edgar Parin d'Aulaire when she was a student in Munich. They married in 1925, and immigrated to the USA shortly thereafter, settling in Brooklyn in 1929. After pursuing separate careers initially, the couple turned to illustrating children's books together, releasing their first collaborative effort, The Magic Rug, in 1931. They settled in Wilton, Connecticut in 1941, and lived there until their deaths in the 1980s. Awarded the 1940 Caldecott Medal for their picture-book biography of Abraham Lincoln, the d'Aulaires published other children's biographies, as well as some notable works on Greek and Norse mythology. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A note at the beginning says that this story was taken from a Hans Christian Andersen poem. It's a nice parable about wishing for a good life instead of living the one you have. The pictures are nice, I would have though colored pencil but apparently they are all lithographs. The note about that helpfully pointed out that that means they were created directly on stone. "Litho" being rock and "graph" being writing you would think yours truly would have put that together sooner. I always thought of it as etching but I never thought of it as being stone. Many of the illustrations are in color, but whether they are hand colored or are multiple layers like a silkscreen, I do not know. I think all kid's books should have a description of the media that the artist uses and a little bit about the process or inspiration. The back-story is always interesting to me.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The page before the title page says "Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Are Hatched" is a good old American proverb. But it doesn't have a story to go with it. In the Scandinavian countries they have the story, but not the proverb. They say, "Remember the Woman with the Eggs", for every child knows this folk tale and knows by heart the poem that Hans Christian Andersen wrote around it."

I don't know what it is about the D'Aulaire's art that I love so much. But, I love it and that's a fact. Besides that, this is a great story to go with a great proverb. Haven't we all counted our chicks?

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adaptation of the story behind the phrase.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read that there is a reissue of this title in 2023, however I received a well worn soft pages of paper copyrighted in 1943 with an old book smell. It was delightful to behold and read this title. Of course I had previously read a number of titles written and illustrated by the husband and wife team of Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire. To my great surprise there was more ch color in the illustrations, actually lots of color for the times and as in d’Aulaireillustrationnstyle lots of detailed illustrations. A reissue you say in 2023 will it be relevant? Absolutely as it teaches two maxims that every child should know without that “teach tone” many picture books use now . The two maxims are don’t count your chickens till they hatch and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Can’t wait to see a copy of the reissue.

[Awjtf · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute book!