The Talking Eggs

The Talking Eggs
Author: Robert San Souci
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Traditional/ Folk

The talking eggs is an adaptation of a Creole folk tale. The story is about a young girl named Blanche who lives in a small Louisiana home with her sinister mother and older sister Rose. At home Blanche is expected to do all of the work, and is often taken advantage of and mocked by her mother and sister. One day, Blanche meets a mysterious old woman in the woods. After giving the old woman some water, Blanche is led to her home, where she is met by some strange animals. The woman tells Blanche not to laugh, and despite the funny looking animals she obeys. The woman has several other trials for her, until finally she leads her into the chicken coop and rewards her with magic eggs which lead to great fortunes for Blanche. Upon returning home, Rose and her mother become jealous of Blanche and con her into telling where she got the eggs from. The next day, Rose is sent into the woods to seek out the old lady and receive her share of the treasures. She meets the old woman, but fails to follow her directions and in the end winds up with nothing. This story is filled with wonderful illustrations, and spectacular scenes.