Petook: An Easter Story

Petook is a fine rooster with snowy white plumage and a red comb who becomes the extremely proud father of twelve little chickens. When he hears that a stranger has been seen in the vineyard near his wife Martha and her brood Petook flies to their side to protect them. On the ground he sees the impressions of a child's feet, set in a straight line toward Jerusalem, and since he knows that young boys are sometimes careless and might tread on one of the tricks, Petook hurries along. But when he gets to Martha he knows that he did not need to be afraid, for the boy was there, kneeling by the little brown hen with a look of wonder on his face as he say the lovely sight of Martha gathering her chicks under her wings.Older readers will have a good idea of who the young boy is, but younger readers may not figure it out until the scene shifts to many years later and Petook is old and passing an uneasy night. In the distance he can see the hill of Calvary where three tall trunks always stood, waiting to become corsses. But young children will also notice in the illustration by Tomie dePaola a figure in white praying beneath a tree, while three figures sleep under another, and a party of soldiers is led by someone with a lantern towards the garden. The next day Petook keeps looking at the top of the hill and the cross beams that are put up. Of course, Petook does not know that the little boy from years ago is know the man hanging on the center cross.The story by Caryll Houselander does not end there, but with Easter morning. I thought that Petook was going to turn out to be the rooster that crowed to chastise Peter for denying Jesus, but that is not the case. Instead Houselander was inspired by when Jesus said "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you under my wings as the hen gathers her chicks, and you would not." This story is told with a simplicity that suits the subtle symbolism of the story. The details dePaola puts into the background of the illustrations serve as reminders of the real story behind the one Houselander is telling.

It is a wonderful story capturing the wonder of rebirth in the Easter story. It is a rare Easter story for young children that doesn't present the confusing details of death and resurrection directly. The illustrations are beautiful.