Don't Count Your Chicks Edgar Parin d'Aulaire 9781517914462

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.

Ingri d'Aulaire (1904-1980) and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (1898-1986) were authors and illustrators of many popular children's books, including Children of the Northlights, Ola, Leif the Lucky, d'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales, and Nils, all published by the University of Minnesota Press. The d'Aulaires also wrote notable children's books about Greek and Norse mythology, and their book Abraham Lincoln was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1939.

"A folk tale brought to new life with excellent pictures, rich in humorous detail."-The Nation

"Never has the story been presented with a more enchanting gaiety and a more childlike spirit."-New York Times

"A cheerful, radiantly illustrated tale."-Publishers Weekly

"American children's literature is much richer than it ever could have been without Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire."-Horn Book

"'Tops' in our picture book parade is Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire's delightful book, Don't Count Your Chicks, their finest work . . . teeming with fun-provoking, satisfying pictures in color, and a story to match."-Christian Science Monitor

"Robustly funny in spirit and details that children love to pore over."-Weekly Book Review

"First published in 1943, this story has lots none of its poignancy, humor, charm, or words of wisdom."-Youth Services Book Review

"A splendid reintroduction of this timeless tale."-Chronicle Journal