One Hen and Then: The Story of a Small Loan and a Big Dream

K-Gr 4–In the “Citizen Kid” series, the marvelous based-in-truth story of how a few coins leftover from his mother’s purchase of a secondhand sewing machine help a boy, Kojo, buy a fluffy white hen. Kojo’s hen lays five eggs, three of which he takes to market. After paying back his mother, he buys more hens. The economics are clearly spelled out; as Kojo buys more hens and sells more eggs, he saves his money, buys eyeglasses that help him with his schooling, gets an education, all the while expanding his operation until he declares himself “chicken man.” An afterword introduces children to the real “Poultry King,” Kwabena Darko, who built the biggest poultry farm in Ghana and was the largest producer of chicks in West Africa. Back matter includes information on microloans, the system of lending small amounts of money to producers who do not have access to traditional bank loans. Friendly color-blocked illustrations keep the Ghanian countryside simple while clearly detailing Kojo’s path from just one hen to a small business that employs others, lifting all of them.