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  One Hundred Eggs for Henrietta

  Written and Illustrated by

  Sally Huss

  “Hurry up, girls! Keep laying those eggs. Easter is coming and we don’t have nearly enough for the big hunt.”

  Henrietta stood inside the henhouse wringing her hands. She was in charge of the hens and she knew she was going to be short of eggs.

  This Easter Sunday, unlike all of the previous Easter Sundays, Farmer Johnson had invited all of the town’s children to the farm for a special Easter Egg Hunt, all one hundred of them. Henrietta had to have things ready.

  “My, my, my,” she fretted, as she looked at the meager number of eggs she was collecting. “Two. One. Four. Three. Two. None. No, this was not going to do.” She would never reach her goal of one hundred eggs. Every child had to have an egg or it just wouldn’t be Easter.

  It wasn’t that her chickens were lazy. They definitely were not. They were just tired and exhausted from trying to lay more eggs than usual.

  “Henry,” she called to the rooster, “bring more food for the girls. George, get them more water.”

  “Oh my, oh my,” Henrietta fretted some more. “How am I going to do it? We only have two days left and we’re short nearly fifty eggs!”

  Henrietta had been collecting eggs for a week for the usual family Easter gathering. But then Farmer Johnson changed plans and announced that all the town’s children were invited – one hundred strong.

  “Oh my, oh my,” Henrietta said again as she left the henhouse, still shaking her head. “I need help, lots of help.”

  Earlier in the week she could have picked up eggs at the market, but they were all snapped up by now. The egg shelves were empty. Easter was a big event in this little town and everyone knew that Easter wasn’t Easter without eggs.

  Eggs on Easter reminded everyone how wonderful life was, that spring was beginning and new life was on the way. And every child had to have an egg; it was tradition!

  One hundred eggs, one hundred eggs -- that’s what she needed. One hundred eggs and she was only half way. Where would she find fifty more?

  Henrietta pondered her dilemma as she sat near the duck pond. The ducks were paddling in line.

  The geese were splashing each other.

  The swans were gracefully gliding in circles, looking in charge of it all.

  Then Henrietta thought, we are all birds of a feather, we need to stick together. “You hoo,” she called to the water birds, “I need your help!”

  She continued to explain, as they swam to the edge of the pond, “In two days it will be Easter Sunday and Farmer Johnson has invited all the children in town for an Easter Egg Hunt. My chickens are doing the best they can but we are fifty eggs short. You have feathers. You are birds like us. You lay eggs. Would you help us by laying enough eggs for the hunt?”

  “Of course. Of course. We’d love to help,” announced one of the swans, speaking for the whole group.

  “Yes, yes. We’d love to help,” piped up one of the other water birds.

  “Thank you all,” replied Henrietta, as she headed off to solve the next problem on her list. Eggs were one thing but coloring them was another.

  Fortunately Farmer Johnson had rows and rows of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and boysenberries – all perfect coloring materials. But who would be careful enough to do the dyeing?

  Aha, she thought, the rabbits! Bunny rabbits have soft paws, just right for holding eggs, as long as the bunnies didn’t eat the eggs in the process. Of course the eggs would be hard-boiled by the time they would be given to the rabbits to dye. But still, every egg must be handled carefully, remaining whole and uncracked, and perfect for the child who would find it.

  “Here, Bunny, Bunny, Bunny,” called Henrietta.

  Out scampered five very perky bunnies, each wondering what a chicken could want with them.

  “I need your help. Farmer Johnson is having a big Easter egg party here on Sunday and we need to prepare the eggs. The eggs are being laid as we speak but they need to be colored. Could you take the berries in the berry patch, crush them and gently dye each egg?”

  Proud that they had been asked to help with the festivities, the rabbits all agreed that they were on board. They were ready and willing to dye the eggs.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Henrietta called back to them while she headed off to solve another problem on her list.

  Who would she find to hide the eggs? Who were the sneakiest animals on the farm? The cats! They knew every nook and cranny on the property. They would surely find the best hiding places.

  “Here, Kitty, Kitty. Here, Kitty, Kitty,” she called. A few seconds later three multi-colored calico cats appeared.

  Hardly ever are chickens and cats seen together. However this was a desperate situation -- she needed their help.

  The cats stood patiently as Henrietta explained, “Could you three cats hide one hundred dyed eggs in the middle of the night before the children arrive on Sunday morning?” She knew this was a lot to ask. She held her breath, hoping for the best.

  The cats proudly said, “Yes, we could even hide two hundred eggs if it were necessary.”

  “No, no,” said Henrietta, very grateful that the cats wished to lend a hand -- or paw. “Thank you, thank you,” she yelled, as she ran off again. “I’ll be in touch.”

  That was it. That was the last problem to be handled on Henrietta’s list. Now they just had to do it.

  For the next two days, Henrietta ran from the henhouse to the duck pond to the rabbits in the field all the while collecting, carrying and counting eggs.

  Eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty-eight, they were getting closer. However the hens were getting weaker, the water birds were looking paler, and the bunnies’ paws were becoming stained and sore. On and on they labored.

  Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine…

  On the brink of hitting one hundred eggs, everyone was exhausted. Finished. Not another egg could be had from the girls in the henhouse or the birds on the pond. Not another strawberry could be found to dye another egg.

  It was Saturday night and the cats were working feverishly. “Oh my, oh my,” Henrietta continued her fretting. “We are one egg short and one child too many.”

  Drumming her head early the next morning, Henrietta tried to find a solution to her newest problem -- where could she find one more egg?

  Just then from high atop an apple tree, a very tiny hummingbird swooped down, holding the most exquisite tiny golden egg in her feathered hand.

  Offering it to Henrietta, she said, “I’ve been watching all of you work so hard to fulfill the dream of every child of having an Easter egg on Easter Sunday. I see that you are lacking one egg. I would like to do what I can to help in my small way. Here is my egg.”

  Gratefully Henrietta took the egg, golden in color with a hint of blue and smaller in size than a pea. Gently she placed this golden egg on a blade of grass beneath the apple tree. “My, my,” thought Henrietta, “this is the most beautiful egg of all. Surely some small child will find it and love it with all of his or her heart. It is perfect.”

  She thanked the hummingbird as it rose from its hovering position and disappeared into the sky.

  With the rising sun, Farmer Johnson opened the gates to welcome his visitors – one hundred happy children with their Easter baskets in hand. Each ran in a different direction, looking for a hidden treasure – a purple egg, a pink egg, a blue egg, a rose egg.

  As each child found an egg, he or she would help another child find theirs. The finding and helping continued until all all the baskets were filled and all the eggs were discovered, all except one – the hun
dredth egg!

  A very little girl still had an empty basket. She wandered among the grass, searching for her egg.

  From atop the apple tree the small humming bird watched. She could see the little girl hunting and searching, unable to find an egg to call her own.

  Then in a flash of speed, the hummingbird dove to where her egg lay gleaming on that small blade of grass. She hovered above it, drawing attention to herself and the spot where the egg rested.

  A moment later, the little girl held the very little Easter egg in her hand. It was as golden as the sun and more beautiful than the wings of the one who had laid it, the hummingbird. The little girl held it so sweetly and gently. She loved it with all her heart.

  The party continued with ice cream and cake for one and all and that included the fine-feathered friends who had made this special Easter Sunday a day to remember.

  Every child had an egg and every egg carried a wish of a bright and happy future for the one who found it!

  These images, along with other Sally Huss Art for Children, are available as framed or unframed prints, prints on canvas, or greeting cards by clicking here:

  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sally-huss.html

  INVITATION

  Thank you so much for purchasing this book. If you liked it and the message it contains I would be most grateful if you would help others find this book by posting a review on Amazon (link: http://amzn.to/1heqGUx) and telling your friends and family members who have small children about it.

  You are invited to join our Family of Friends on my website, www.sallyhuss.com, and receive updates on my FREE book promotions, and download a wonderful poster, also FREE, on happiness, titled “The Most Important Thing to Know.”

  We are all a part of the effort to enrich, educate, enlighten and protect the children in our lives and those who are not. Please lend a hand by helping me spread happy books with wonderful uplifting messages.

  Thank you,

  Sally

  Sally Huss has been a writer and artist all of her life. She studied art at Occidental College before graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in Fine Art.

  Besides her books, Sally is an accomplished artist, whose paintings hang in homes from Hollywood to the White House. Her bright and happy designs dance across lines of baby bibs, clothing, purses and wall art for children. King Features syndicates Sally's inspirational panel, Happy Musing, for newspapers and online e-zines. Sally writes and paints in her Fallbrook, California studio, plays tennis, and walks the hills daily.

  Through the years, Sally has written and illustrated many books for children and adults. Here are a few.

  For Children:

  Everything Has a Heart (The Importance of Love and Kindness) http://amzn.to/1gzqhA9

  The Very Little Monster (The Importance of Kindness and Facing Fears) http://amzn.to/1iPCMp7

  Gator Eggs (About Sowing and Reaping) http://amzn.to/1devwBk

  A Boat Full of Animals (Fun Exercises to Develop Good Habit and Values) http://amzn.to/1hycrxl

  The Secret (The Importance of Saying "Please") http://amzn.to/RUHto5

  A Mermaid Tea Party (The Importance of Kindness and Manners) http://amzn.to/L04JrH

  The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow (The Importance of Following Your Heart) http://amzn.to/KQHC1K

  Best Counting Book EVER! (Fun Rhyming and Counting) http://amzn.to/zhokeG

  Little Baby Bobby Goes to the Zoo (The Importance of Understanding "NO!") http://amzn.to/KaXzQQ

  How the Cow Jumped Over the Moon (The Importance of Trying Something New) http://amzn.to/N2CT1K

  A to Z Animal Games (Learning Games to Develop 26 Good Habits) http://amzn.to/Mb4z3Y

  Little Lonely Leigh (The Importance of Believing in Yourself) http://amzn.to/MgYKxR

  Eight Golden Rules for How to Play Your Best Tennis (The Importance of Playing Happy and Other Strategies, Endorsed by Billie Jean King, Dick Enberg, Mary Carillo) http://amzn.to/uqQYYx

  Mr. Consequences Says 'No' to Strangers (The Importance of Making Good Choices) http://amzn.to/N2Eipk

  Lulu Little Gets Smart (The Importance of Learning from Mistakes) http://amzn.to/LSFib5

  Thanksgiving Dinner (The Importance of Being Thankful) http://amzn.to/KQH9g3

  The Tree-Within-The-Tree (The Importance of Appreciation) http://amzn.to/N2E5lK

  Did You Ever Say "Thank You"? (The Importance of Being Thankful) http://amzn.to/Q1CIoJ

  For Moms and Dads:

  Your Survival Guide -- 14 Ways to Stay Afloat (The ways and means to deal with these times) http://amzn.to/Zhhl3O

  The Importance of Living Happy: 30 Ways to do it (http://amzn.to/zmd2QA

  Eight Golden Rules for How to Play Your Best Tennis (Endorsed by Billie Jean King, Dick Enberg, Mary Carillo) http://amzn.to/uqQYYx

  Love Ladies League Tennis (Best Strategies and Attitude for Ladies Doubles Play) http://amzn.to/1dTwP4J

  The Perfect Diet for Movie Stars and You (A New Way of Looking at Food and Diet) http://amzn.to/OdwPR5

  How to Get You’re your Man --The Slam-Dunk Formula to Getting the Love of Your Life http://amzn.to/N2DqRo

  ...and many more

  One Hundred Eggs for Henrietta

  Written and Illustrated by

  Sally Huss

  Copyright 2014 Sally Huss

  Huss Publishing

  Fallbrook, California

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, sold, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, resending or otherwise) without permission by the author.

 

 

  Sally Huss, One Hundred Eggs for Henrietta

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