The Little Red Hen

by Jerry Pinkney

Caldecott Medal winner Jerry Pinkney enlivens the beloved fable with cheerful and classically beautiful illustrations, making this the ideal edition for every child’s library.
 
As he did with his Caldecott-winning The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney has masterfully adapted this story of the hardworking hen and her lazy neighbors. Its Golden Rule message and sassy finale are just as relevant and satisfying as ever. Read it in tandem with Pinkney’s Puss in Boots and The Tortoise and the Hare or David Wiesner’s The Three Pigs.
 
 
"Perfect [for] sharing with one listener, or a crowd." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“Cheerful [and] luminous. Kids will gleefully chime in.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“A lush light-filled rendition of a folktale staple.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Folklore, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2006

About the author

Jerry Pinkney was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated more than 100 books, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors. He was the recipient of five Caldecott Honor books and the winner of the Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse. He also won the Coretta Scott King Award five times, the Coretta Scott King Honor four times, and was nominated for the prestigious international Hans Christian Anderson Award.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books that take a famous fable or fairytale to the page and to readers. I remember this story best from seeing the Silly-Symphony Disney produced.

The Little red Hen has a family and she finds some seeds one day. She tries to build her community, but the others don’t want to work. They keep telling her, no I won’t help you. She does all the work and she enjoys the fruits of her labors. She also doesn’t share them, since no one helped. It’s not a story Jesus would tell, as he would have made it about sharing anyway, most likely. It’s a story about taking care of your family and the value of hard work.

Hen is able to look toward the future. She is able to understand work now can bring something good in the future. She also has more work than anyone else at the moment. She has chicks, young ones and none of the other characters do. She has a heavy load, but she makes it work. It is a story of perseverance. Anyway, I enjoy this little story and the take that Jerry Pickney gives them. I will find some more of his books.

The nephew loved the little yellow chicks. He and his sister have been begging to get a chicken coop in the back, but we aren’t going to do it. He thought the story was a little boring, but he enjoyed seeing the little chicks hop around. He gave this 2 stars.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Red Hen is a tale beloved by generations of children for its pleasing repetition, its humor, and its unsubtle moral at the end. A red hen finds some wheat kernels and, in the face of her friends' refusal to assist, successfully plants it, harvests its crop, takes the wheat to the miller to be ground, and bakes it into bread. Then, when all her lazy friends invite themselves to partake, she eats it herself, thus illustrating (perhaps not very graciously) the lesson of 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that those who do not work should not partake of the benefits of others' work.

Jerry Pinkney has interpreted this old story with extravagant watercolors, fully of careful detail and narrated with cheerful and humorous text. There is even a delightful self-portrait of the artist as the miller, with his paints and sketches tucked away in the corner as he turns from the mill to hand the little red hen her flour. This story is sure to be enjoyed by a preschool and elementary school audience.

[Annie Mercado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The phrase “You reap what you sow” rings true within this story! The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney is a traditional children’s literature story about a hen that seeks help from her community to bake her bread but finds herself doing it all on her own. She turns to her “friends” multiple times in the hopes that they’ll jump to assist her, and still – nobody steps up for her. This story teaches kids about the importance of working together. If we don't work together, we miss out on precious friendships and possible rewards.

We only see the little red hen’s “friends” finally insert themselves into her life once all of the hard work is done, along with the bread. She ultimately refuses to share her bread with them because they refused to help her all the other times. The little red hen wanted to teach them the importance of helping others, being responsible for the tasks asked of you, and learning to value hard work. When she realizes that she can’t rely on anyone else, she finds it in herself to get it done by herself. Sometimes this is what we have to do – when others aren’t open to collaborating, we must rely on ourselves, which can actually boost confidence that we’re capable of doing things ourselves and doing them well.

This story is relatable and empowering! As much as we want to work with others, not everyone wants to work with us. When this happens, we need to be okay working by ourselves and feeling confident in our own abilities. Plus, the rewards will be much sweeter! The Little Red Hen is a great story to share with kids to teach them about independence, collaboration, and hard work. Give this book a read, it may help boost your confidence too!

[Allison Reilly]

Summary

This book is about a little red hen who kept asking her friends on the farm for help as she was making bread. Each of them told her no every time she asked. When she finally finished making her bread, all of the friends who were asked to help and said no asked if they could have some of her bread. She told them no because they chose not to help her.

Evaluation

I enjoyed this book despite the repetitive nature. Due to the fact that the book is repetitive makes it a book that is easy to plan a prediction lesson around.

Teaching Point

I would use this book to teach prediction. As a whole group I would provide the class with sticky notes and they would write what they think will happen next and post it to an anchor chart. We would then do an activity in groups of 4-5 where one student starts and paper and the student next to them adds to it. They would then go around the group adding to each other's story. This will teach about prediction to show them that they can never really know what might happen next.

[Beth Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a different version as a child and hated the ending. This version puts the hen’s efforts in context. She is trying to feed her family. Makes the whole story better.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this with The Little Red Fort for my younger library classes.

[Maddy Rigsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! This is a great book for younger kids or lower elementary age children. This book is great with having adjectives. The little red hen starts by finding some seeds. She asks all of her neighbors in the barn for help making her bread. The pig, the cow, and the rat all say no. So then at the end when the little red hen has the bread made, all of her neighbors want some bread, but because none of them helped her make the bread she doesn't let any of them eat it. This is a good lesson for children that if they want something, they should really help with it. The pictures in this book are also very good and will keep the kids interested.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was one of my favorites as a kid, but this is a newer version with slightly different animals (which made it hard for me to get straight in my head since I wanted to say " 'Not I,' said the duck. 'Not I,' said the cat. 'Not I,' said the pig." In this book we have a goat, rat, dog, and pig).

[Spike's Place · Rating 5 out of 5]

Click here to place a hold at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Traditional Literature/Picture Book

Copyright Date: 2006

This is a good story that shows that you need to do you part if you want to reap the rewards at the end. It can be used to teach students about teamwork. Great illustrations. Grades K-3.

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for Storytime, February 15th
Theme: Fairy Tales

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rendition of this classic tale.

[Karim Elmenshawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I will just have to eat this bread by myself"Doesn't she deserve the same?

[Lea Triantafillou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Red Hen is a favorite folktale that I remember from my childhood. Its’ targeted audience is for children ages 4-9. The account of Pinkney’s version won the 2006 New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of the Year and the 2007 ALA Notable Children's Book. Not only do I remember reading this, but the children that I babysit for brought it home as one of their required readings for the week. I think that books that are still continuously being utilized in reading rotations are successful books which is why I rated this book a 4 out of 5 stars. This book specifically is about a red hen who asks her friends to help her make some bread. They refuse to give her this help, so she proceeds to make it herself. It isn’t until all her friends realize that there is bread available that they are willing to knock on her door. This story is about being hardworking, helping others, and the importance of earning. This is a book that children can learn morals from. Something that I appreciate about this book is that the content holds true across a wide range of ages. Children are learning and developing social skills day by day. This book addresses how two sided, positive friendships are the best ones. This book allows clarity about what being kind and helpful to peers can do. Today, I respond to this book with much more appreciation that I did before. This is a book that teachers for preschool up to the third grade should have in their classroom. I highly recommend Pinkney’s award winning version to those who have not read it.

7/13/18

[Annah Neumire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic children's tale teaches an important lesson about the value of hard work and the rewards it offers. It also teaches the important life lesson of helping others and responsibility. Teachers and parents can ensure children are learning that rewards only come with hard work and effort, by reading this tale! Because of this, "The Little Red Hen" has withstood the test of time and remains a favorite classic tale for children.

The story follows a little red hen who wants to bake bread, but none of her animal friends are willing to help her with the various steps needed in order to make some delicious bread! Does that stop her? No way! The little red hen continues to do everything by herself, continuing to ask for help along the way, just in case her friends change their minds. Finally, when the bread is done...everyone is ready to eat. Little red hen reminds her friends that no one helped her, so only she will get to eat!

One of the strengths of this book is its simplicity. The text is easy for young readers to grasp and understand. The repetition that takes place adds to the appeal of young children.
Another strength I noticed was the use of verbs such as meowed, quacked, and oinked. These distinct verbs help children relate the sound to its perspective animal. This may seem like common sense, but for super young children, it is not.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

As another review said- this is a story of perseverance. I relate to this folklore a lot. The hen puts in the time and work when no one else wants to. She perseveres through it all. She doesn't complain or stress; she quietly goes about her work knowing that she has a goal. She has a family to work for. I also think the hen is a lot wiser than the other animals. She knows the seeds will in time grant her with rewards. However, the ones don't, or they do know, and they are just lazy. When it all said and done and the hen has her food, then everyone wants to reap the rewards (even though they have declined every invitation to help her with the workload). I am happy with how the end of the book played out because I feel like people need to learn how to work hard for the things they have. But, as I said before, I do relate to this tale. I feel like I am always putting in %11o percent while others only put in %50. Sometimes, I get frustrated because I don't think it is fair. This tale reminds me to not compare myself with others. I just have to keep pushing because all of my hard work is going to pay off one day (fingers crossed that day is soon).

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I''ve read and heard about this book numerous times in my life, however this adaption by Jerry Pinkney was amazing! Like other Jerry Pinkney's books, the illustrations were astonishing. They were all very beautiful, very detailed on every page. The part of the book that stood out the most to me was the way how the animals acted throughout the book. I was laughing on how lazy each of the animals were as they said "Not I" as the little red hen asked for help. It was so funny but also annoying that I felt pity toward the little red hen! In the end, it all worked out when the little red hen ate the bread by herself. I believe this book can be used greatly to express the meaning on you need to do something in order to gain something from it. I believe this will always be one of my favorite old stories, and will probably read this story to my future classroom.

[Kirsten Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney is a children's folklore story intended for ages two to six. The book tells the story of a mother hen who finds seeds, but no one to help her tend to them. The setting is on a farm with animals as the characters. The plot is that none of her animal friends will help her tend to the wheat seeds she has found. She asks and ask for help and they all say, Not I". The climax is towards the end of the story, after all her friends telling her "no", they will not help, the seeds have grown and are ready for baking. Once her friends smell the delicious bread baking, they all say, "We'll help you eat it!". The falling action is the mother hen saying, "Oh, no you won't!" and the illustration is of her and her baby chicks sitting down to enjoy the bread together. I think this appeals to children because there are talking animals as the characters and, with the innocence of children, they are always surprised at hearing the animals always saying no, they will not help.

[Olivia Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Little Red Hen, a Hen lives on a farm with other farm animals. She finds seeds that she can grow into wheat and then later make bread with it. She asks the other farm animals for help planting the seeds and taking care of them until they grow. But the other animals all said no. She then asks them for help cutting the wheat and transporting it and again they all say no. She then asks if anyone will help her make the bread and to no surprise all the other animals said no. She then bakes the bread and asks if anyone wants the bread, and of course all the animals say yes, but the hen tells them they cannot have any because they did not help her at all. This is a good book to have in your classroom to teach your students about helping out and not being selfish. People don't get things handed to them in life they have to help out and work for things, so this would be a good lesson to teach your students.

[Brandi Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This classic children's book tells the story of a hard-working hen who wants to bake bread, but none of her animal friends are willing to help her. The book is beautifully illustrated with beautiful and colorful images that capture the essence of the story. The anthropomorphism of the hen caring for her crops and baking her bread was illustrated in a fun way. I think that illustrations are the highlight of the book they bring the characters to life and make the story more engaging. The animals are drawn with detail and fun expressions. The story itself is a little lackluster to me. It is very straightforward. As an adult is of course predictable but I could understand why children would like it. It is a classic tale so many children will enjoy it, I just don't think it is the most memorable or exciting book in anyone's collection.

[Rachel Doran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jerry Pinkney and his illustrations blow me away. This book is about a hen finds wheat seeds and no one else in the yard will help her plant them. They do not help her harvest them, take the grain to the miller and they do not help her make the loaf of bread. When the bread came out of the oven, the other animals wanted to eat the bread, but the hen did not let them because no one helped in the process. So she sat down with her chicks and they all ate the warm bread with berry jam. The illustrations really draw the reader in and keep you engaged throughout. I love his work and highly recommend for a good read aloud book.

[Connor Ashcraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A happy little red hen finds multiple little activities asked her friends for help with, but no one would help her out with anything. So she always did them on her own, such as planting seeds, cut the wheat, or bake the bread. So when she made the bread by herself she asked if anyone will eat it, with the obvious response from her friends saying that they will. She makes the point that no one but her will have it because no one was there for her when she needed them, only when they wanted something from her.

[Karen]

Book Title: The Little Red Hen
Author: Jerry Pinkney
Reading Level: G
Book Level:2.1

Book Summary: The traditional story of Little Red Hen doing all the work!

Writing Traits:
Sentence Fluency-I would use this mentor text with students K-2 to show them how the story builds and repeats. Each page has the repetition of "Not I" from the other farm animals and the repetition of the hen asking animals for help. It also works through the steps needed to harvest wheat for making bread. I would use this and the sentence fluency to help model for students how to work through a how to book.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the Little Red Hen folktale about a hen who finds wheat seeds, plants them, harvests them, and eventually bakes the harvest into bread along the way asking other barnyard animals who would like to help and no one volunteers until it comes time to eat.

I like that the animals are all a different color, and in the text they use that color when talking about them so beginning readers can identify who is who by color. It would make it easy for littles to help read those parts. Pinkney's illustrations are fabulous, and I really like his adaptation of this tale.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving a version of this story when I was younger. Why this particular story was a favorite, I'm not really sure. Other than, perhaps, it was a little wise nod to knowing the truth to this story. More often than not, I sure know how Red Hen feels. I found this version by Jerry Pinkney at my library -- the illustrations are lovely, though the adaption is a bit different than the one I remember as a child. I'm now on the search for the original fable written by Mary Mapes Dodge in 1874.

[Linwuschotmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fable
Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Red Hen (2006). This is a beloved fable of a hard-working little red hen and her lazy farm-mates. One day, the little red hen finds some seeds of wheat while searching for breakfast. She asked her friends on the farm to help her plant, grow, harvest, mill and bake the seeds into bread. However, one by one the animals turn her down. So, the little red hen did all the hard work by herself. When it’s finally time to enjoy the delicious bread, all the animals want a piece of it. The little red hen says no and enjoys the bread with her chicks. This version of the Little Red Hen stays true to the original plot with added humor and gorgeous illustrations. The clever way the little red hen tries to coax the animals into helping her is humorously written and uniquely special. This is a great book for emergent readers. The vocabulary is not too difficult and the repetition makes it engaging for the young kids to follow along. The watercolor illustrations depict great details of each character’s emotional and physical attributes. The vivid illustrations show the strength of the little red hen, the laziness of the other animals, and the . It serves the purpose of moving the story along and engaging the readers. The author also uses colored text to match the color of the animals. For example, the little red hen is written in red letters and the pig is written in pink letter. This helps beginner readers to match words and animals by color. I would recommend this easy to read, entertaining, and educational book to all young readers. Target audience: ages 5 - 10

[Mariah Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Red Hen is a spin off of the classic folklore. This book uses pictures and characters to reveal the plot and the lesson to the story. I would use this story for Kindergarten and 1st whole class read aloud. I would analyze the characters as well as the pictures to make predictions for what is to come. The story also uses repetition that will allow students to make predictions as well. This story is a fun classic that promotes a good message and sharpens basic skills!

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Red Hen is an amazing book, that is enjoyed by many people of all ages. This book has a great humor to it, and the illustrations are very astonishing and fit well with the words of the book. I really enjoyed how the colors of the animals were the color of the words as this can be a very helpful thing for children who are learning their colors. I have enjoyed this book ever since I was little and still find myself reading it over and over.

[Tammy Manns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Traditional Literature/Folktale
Grade Level: Early Primary/Primary (K-3)

This is a very familiar story about being helpful and being a good friend. The Little Red Hen finds wheat seeds and none of her barnyard friends will help her plant the seeds or help with the cutting and grinding to make flour but everyone wants to eat the delicious bread she bakes! The illustrations are wonderful. Very vibrant colors and a great amount of detail.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Traditional Literature
Grade: K-2

The illustrations in Jerry Pinkney’s version of “The Little Red Hen” were so detailed and the animals all look very realistic. The names of the animals are color coded through out the book which would help children reading the book. It would also creates a great opportunity to connect to adjectives. Overall, the story was well written and illustrations were fantastic.