Rachel a Hutterite Girl

By Rachel Maendel

Book Overview

"What do you girls have in your aprons?" Aunt Susie asked.

"Eggs " they said, proudly.

Rachel and her cousin, growing up on a Hutterite farm colony, find goose eggs hidden in the rushes by the river. Rachel borrows a "broody hen" from the colony's chicken barn, and her father helps her build a nest box. When the eggs finally hatch, everyone laughs to see the big geese following the little "mama" hen. But the geese are always getting in trouble. One morning the worst happens, and Rachel finds them dead. But wait Are they really gone? There's a surprise twist to the end of the story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0836191196
• ISBN13: 9780836191196
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Herald Press (VA)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.7" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL!

In this day when children are often burdened with the demands of a materialistic culture, Rachel Maendel reminds us of the lost simple joys of yesteryear's childhood. She shares true stories from her youth, of work and play, having grown up on a communal farm of the Hutterite sect, in Western Canada. Children are seen as a gift from God. Extended family life is the norm. The natural rhythm of farm life unfolds.The richness and vitality of their life together seemingly leaps off the page. The reader delights in one fun happening after another - sleeping all cozy and snug in her Schlofbonk feather bed with her sister, visiting Uncle Jacob's shoe shop and coming home with a pair of shoes for the baby, sitting in a hayloft laughing with her cousin, searching for eggs among the rushes and gathering them in her apron, and coming face to face with a bull, to name a few. But the best is saved for last as the surprise ending adds the last laugh to the fun adventure of the geese that have been hatched by a mother hen. The illustrator, Hannah Marsden does a powerful job making the appealing word images come into vivid and beautiful color.If you want your child to experience a time when life did not revolve around the internet and endless "leisure" activities, this book is a must read. Our family couldn't recommend it more enthusiastically.

ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL!

In this day when children are often burdened with the demands of a materialistic culture, Rachel Maendel reminds us of the lost simple joys of yesteryear's childhood. She shares true stories of her youth, having grown up on a communal farm of the Hutterite sect in Western Canada. Children are seen as a gift from God. Extended family life is the norm. The natural rhythm of farm life unfolds. The richness and vitality of their life together seemingly leaps off the page. The reader delights in one fun happening after another - sleeping all cozy and snug with her sister in their Schlofbonk feather bed, visiting Uncle Jacob's shoe shop, sitting in a hayloft laughing with her cousin, searching for eggs among the rushes and gathering them in her apron, being disobedient and coming face to face with a bull, the fun adventure of the mother hen hatching geese, just to name a few. The wonderful surprise ending adds the last laugh. The illustrator, Hannah Marsden, does a powerful job making the appealing word images come into vivid and beautiful color.If you want your child to experience a time when life did not revolve around the internet and endless "leisure" activites, this book is a must read. Our family could not recommend it more strongly. A real treasure.