The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South

An overworked girl named Blanche shows kindness to a strange old witch-woman and follows her into a world of two-headed cows and dancing rabbits, where talking eggs offer a choice that will test her heart.

For the kid who's always the one doing chores while someone else gets praised, Blanche's story is the payoff they've been waiting for.

• Big idea: Kindness offered without expecting anything back is its own kind of magic — and eventually finds its way home.
• Vibes: Hushed and folkloric, with strange, dreamlike wonders tucked inside a down-to-earth Southern setting.

• enjoy folktales with a moral core
• are working on understanding fairness between siblings
• like to linger over richly detailed illustrations
• respond well to stories where kindness gets rewarded

• Story & characters: How is Blanche treated differently from her sister Rose at the start of the story?
• Feelings & empathy: Why do you think Blanche was kind to the old witch-woman when no one else would be?
• Imagination: What was the strangest thing Blanche saw in the witch-woman's world — the two-headed cows or the dancing rabbits?
• Real-life connection: Can you think of a time being kind to someone made something good happen later?
• Predicting & wondering: If you had to choose between talking eggs, how would you decide which ones to pick?