The talking eggs: A folktale from the American South

BIBLIOGRAPHY
San, S. R. D., & Pinkney, J. (1989). The talking eggs: A folktale from the American South. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0803706197


PLOT SUMMARY
Blanche is a very sweet girl that lives with her greedy and rude mother and sister. Her sister, Rose, was her mother’s favorite daughter and they made Blanche do all the chores. One day, on her way back from getting water for her greedy sister and mother she runs into an old thirsty woman. Blanche kindly blesses the old lady with water not knowing in return she would receive her blessing in threefold. A surprise twist at the end leads to her Mother and sister thinking twice about being greedy and disrespectful to anyone else again.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Talking Eggs is the Creole version of Cinderella. Students will be able to think deeper when they are inferring the multiple themes and lessons in the book including kindness and generosity. Although this is a folktale there are many elements that authentically connects to the African American culture from Pinkney’s Beautiful watercolor illustrations to the southern dialect found in this book. Many young African American girls will see themselves as the main character because of her personality, skin tone, hairstyle/ texture, and facial features. 

Another cultural marker that really makes readers feel like they are living in the 1800’s is the mode of transportation and clothing. The main character Blanche is found riding in a horse carriage wearing a long Victorian dress. Many young readers will connect with Blanche and her frustrations of being the outcast of the family and being mistreated. The author integrates the unfortunate reality of violence and crime in the African American community and reveals to young readers the negative effects of being greedy and inconsiderate.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book Guide starred (February, 1990)
“Adapted from a Creole folk tale, the story captures the flavor of the nineteenth-century South in its language and story line. The watercolors are chiefly responsible for the excellence of the book. “

Kirkus Reviews (1989)
“Pinkney sets the story in an eerily tangled southern forest; his black characters glow with personality, each one distinct and believable, while the cow and chickens are rendered so matter-of-factly that it takes more than one look to discern their unusual features. Blanche's gentle ingenuousness may seem at odds with her ready abandonment of her family, but that traditional ending does keep the thematic waters unmuddied.”

CONNECTIONS

More Folktales that will interest young readers of color!

Haley, Gail E. (2010). A Story, a Story: An African Tale. Paw Prints.ISBN: 0689712014

Steptoe,John, . (2001). Mufaro's beautiful daughters: [an African tale]. United States: Live Oak Media. ISBN: 0140559469

Hester, D. L., & Urbanovic, J. (2015). Grandma Lena's big ol' turnip. New York, NY : AV² ISBN: 0807530271