When I was a teen, I found this book in the center aisle of a grocery store when shopping with my mom. Reading through it made me cry (I loved chickens and kept pet hens) as I sympathized for Dora who watched all the other animals with their babies before returning to her boring eggs…
Mom saw me looking at it and bought it for me for my birthday. I think the illustrations (By Jane Chapman) had an influence on me. It’s hard to tell from these, but she has a very subtle brush color action going on. I love this story, and I love these illustrations. Chapman does a number of other books as well, but the other one closest to this style can be found in One Duck Stuck (a counting book).
Nikki Dreamer Illustration 