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The Hen Who Wouldn't Give Up

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Hilda is a small, speckled hen. And when Hilda makes up her mind, nothing can stop her. Hilda’s auntie has just had a family of chicks, and she’s determined to visit them. But how is Hilda going to travel the five miles to her auntie’s farm?

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

12 people are currently reading
181 people want to read

About the author

Jill Tomlinson

53 books32 followers
Jill Tomlinson never intended to be a writer. She trained as an opera singer, and then decided to have a family whilst her voice matured. But illness intervened, and she had to find another outlet for her energies. She started on a journalism course, and by the third lesson decided she wanted to write for children. So she did! Jill Tomlinson’s animal stories are much-loved and have been best-selling children’s books for nearly four decades.

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5 stars
182 (47%)
4 stars
127 (32%)
3 stars
66 (17%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Asya Kalkan.
6 reviews
May 15, 2021
Hilda’nın maceraları çok güzeldi.Hilda çok uğraştı, en sonunda bir tane civcivi oldu.Hilda pes etmemem gerektiğini öğretti. Denemekten hiçbir zaman vazgeçmem.
Profile Image for Mairéad.
871 reviews11 followers
April 11, 2021
"Being brave isn't not being frightened. It is being frightened and still not running away."

This wonderful short chapter book is all about Hilda the Hen who goes on some crazy adventures that are sure to amuse and enthrall young readers (7-10). The perfect introduction to chapter books, this tale will instantly appeal to animal lovers and offers lots of scope for discussion in a classroom setting. Hilda's journey to visit her auntie is plagued with set backs but she doesn't let this deter her. I enjoyed each of the characters and the illustrations punctuated important moments I the tale perfectly. I am sure this will become a firm favourite in my class library.
Profile Image for John Naylor.
929 reviews22 followers
January 9, 2019
An early reader book about a hen and her adventures. It took a strange turn halfway through and it felt like two different stories added together.
A story with action, humour, loss, determination and eggs. Despite it being over fifty years since it was published it doesn't feel that dated. Recommended to parents as a bedtime read.
Profile Image for Rose.
18 reviews
July 10, 2021
the hen who wouldn't give up was a very brave hen. this hen wouldn't give up on her family. i think this book is very good. i am looking forward to reading the other books.my favourite character is hilda the hen.
Profile Image for Erin.
333 reviews4 followers
Read
September 23, 2015
For some unknown reason I am attracted to books with chickens as characters so when I saw this title I thought, why not?! It's a young reader chapter book but I had hoped it would have been more of a picture book. Anyway, Hilda is a determined hen who spends the first half of the book trying to find transportation to visit a nearby farm and the other half as a broody hen trying to hide her eggs. It's cute...and it was written by an English author so the entire read is filled with British terms which was what I loved the most!! On the flip side, might not sit well for some parents reading to their children, most noteably, the steamroller drivers "baccy tin" and the entire chapter where Hilda is taught that hitch-hiking is the answer to all her transportation woes!!
Profile Image for Martha.
77 reviews10 followers
January 21, 2008
Very cute, and I love that the publishers kept the British English for the American market. A teensy bit disturbing as Hilda the Hen certainly gets her feathers ruffled quite a lot (but I think only an adult would be bothered by this). This is one of several in a series devoted to lovable and endearing animals --there's a book starring a kitty, a seal, an aardvark, etc. Recommended to animal lovers just starting with in-between books.
Profile Image for Tudor Nane.
3 reviews
February 6, 2020
Mi a plăcut această carte pt. ca Sanda, trece prin foarte multe peripeții. Povestea este amuzantă si se citeste usor .Este despre prietenie si despre a ajuta pe cel de langa tine.
Profile Image for Răzvan Ursuleanu.
Author 1 book18 followers
June 20, 2023
Jill Tomlinson a scris multe cărți pentru voi, copii, și m-am gândit temeinic înainte de a vă recomanda pe care să o citiți prima. Aventurile vidrei, ale pisicii sau ale gorilei sunt foarte interesante, la fel și cele ale pinguinului sau ale bufniței. Dar eu cred că ar fi bine să citiți mai întâi “Găina care nu voia să renunțe”, din simplul motiv că este vorba despre cineva care nu renunță niciodată la proiectele pe care le are, indiferent cât de mari sunt obstacolele care se pot ivi pe parcurs.

Găina din această carte se numește Sanda și este o găină care poate fi dată drept exemplu de bună purtare, o găină care ar putea fi considerată un model demn de a fi urmat. Aici poate că este bine să precizez faptul că dacă o să vreți să fiți și voi ca Sanda, asta nu înseamnă că trebuie neapărat să arătați ca ea (bine, nici nu e interzis), ci doar să vă comportați așa cum o face această extraordinară găină.

Sanda nu numai că nu renunță niciodată la ceea ce și-a propus, dar în același timp este și dornică de a învăța mereu lucruri noi. Ea învață, de exemplu, că nu este o idee tocmai bună aceea de a folosi un compresor pe post de mijloc de transport, întrucât acesta merge mereu când înainte, când înapoi, iar în felul acesta ajungerea la destinație se dovedește a fi un lucru foarte greu de înfăptuit. La fel se întâmplă și atunci când Sanda își dorește să clocească câteva ouă, ea află că este foarte important să-și aleagă cu mare atenție locul, șapca cea veche a domnului Barbu nefiind chiar cea mai potrivită alegere, pentru că domnul Barbu are ciudatul obicei de a-și îndesa pe cap această șapcă.

“Găina care nu voia să renunțe” nu este doar o carte despre o găină nemaipomenită. Veți descoperi în paginile acesteia o mulțime de personaje simpatice, care atunci când pot o ajută pe Sanda să treacă cu bine peste greutăți. Animale prietenoase, păsări nostime, oameni cumsecade, o lume minunată, exact ca aceea în care mi-aș dori să trăim cu toții, mari și mici.

http://www.bucurestifm.ro/2023/06/20/...
410 reviews3 followers
January 26, 2023
O carte foarte frumoasă care povestește aventurile unei găini pe nume Sanda. Sanda stă la ferma lui Barbu într-un sat numit Halca Mică. Ea are o mătușă într-un alt sat la o distanță de opt kilometri de ea. Această mătușă a devenit mamă și are cinci puișori. Sanda se hotărăște să își viziteze mătușa și sa îi cunoscă puișorii. Are mai multe tentative de a ajunge în celalalt sat, dar toate se termină fără ca Sanda să și reușească. Dar ea este perseverentă și până la urmă un tirist o duce și o aduce de la mătușă. După acest eveniment, Sanda realizează că și ea își dorește familia ei, exact ca mătușa ei. Oare și reușește?
Profile Image for Priya Arun.
161 reviews26 followers
September 9, 2022
This was such a beautiful read. This book was made even more warm by the small illustrations. The character Hilda the hen was as pure as water. Hilda impressed me with her bravery and her commitment to accomplishing tasks or things she set her mind to.

It was such an amazing journey to follow Hilda on her visit to her auntie Emma or when she struggled to hatch her chicks. Even though this is fiction for children, I recommend it to anyone looking for a warm read!
Profile Image for Nata.
518 reviews151 followers
August 21, 2019
E povestea unei găinușe care nu renunță niciodată la scopurile ei. Despre politețe și despre perseverență. Cum nu se dă bătută indiferent de provocările ivite în calea ei și despre reușitele pe care le are. Drăguță poveste.

Amuzantă și ușor de citit, recomand copiilor de la 6+ani. Cei mai mici nu cred să aibă multă răbdare să ajungeți cu ea (găinușa Hilda) până la finalul aventurii ei.
6 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2025
It was really nice book.I was shocked many times to find the hen in difficult adventures stage.Though the hen was always ready to face the challenges to meet her aunt.The hen never give up and finally she reached auntie's home and met her babies.
Profile Image for Zoya.
15 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2020
Congratulations Hilda! I am relly proud of you!
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
423 reviews
March 13, 2022
What a sweet little story about a friendly hen who has great adventures while displaying perseverance and patience.
Profile Image for Archie Lewis.
9 reviews
July 6, 2024
It’s really really nice and the best part about this book was that it’s really exciting at the end
48 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2021
Hilda is very sensitive to go to her auntie and she did!
Profile Image for Sara.
241 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2009
This hen has pluck and fortitude! Hilda is a spirited hero, unflinching in the face of repeated failure and all the while keeping up a positive outlook. How Jill Tomlinson was able to convey so much adventure and drama through the life of a chicken, I'll never know. But I like it!!
Profile Image for RogueHireling.
595 reviews7 followers
March 14, 2013
Probably my favorite Jill Tomlinson book. It follows Hilda, a small hen, who has many adventures trying to get over to the next town to visit her aunt.

Wonderful story of perseverance, following ones dreams, and of being polite to those who help us.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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