Daisy Comes Home

     Mei Mei has the six happiest hens in China. She gives them fresh hay and baths, and when she calls to them, Gu-gu-gu-gu! they all run to her as fast as they can. But one of the hens, Daisy, was not always so happy. She was the smallest and the other hens used to pick on her, flapping their wings, squawking and pecking. Then one night Daisy was asleep in a basket when it drifted out onto the river. She woke up facing a barking dog, and suddenly Daisy was doing some pecking, squawking and wing-flapping of her own!
     Jan Brett's exquisite illustrations reflect life on the Li River and the mysterious and beautiful countryside through which it flows in this heartwarming tale of a brave little hen.
      Jan and her husband, Joe Hearne, traveled with their daughter-in-law, Yun, and her husband, Sean, to China, the land where Yun was born. As they sailed down the Li river in the Guang Xi Province, Jan was reminded of a favorite story from childhood, The Story of Ping. There were the cormorants, and the fisherman. But what made a lasting impression was the river itself, with mountains in unusual shapes towering above and small villages along the way with their colorful markets and brightly dressed children. All of these memories became the backdrop for Daisy's adventures. Why a hen for her spunky heroine? Perhaps Daisy was inspired by Jan's hens at home: Pansy, Bluebell and Dahlia.