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The Little Red Hen
A little red hen grows grain, threshes wheat, bakes bread, and feeds her chicks—all by herself, without any help from her lazy friends. Young readers will laugh and learn a valuable lesson about teamwork from this classic tale! This oversize edition (18 x 18") is prefect for sharing in a library or classroom.
Byron Barton's simple words, bold images, and imaginative use of color have made his many picture books perennial favorites with young children. This retelling of the well-loved folktale "The Little Red Hen" continues to draw in preschoolers with its humor and bright primary colors.
Byron Barton's simple words, bold images, and imaginative use of color have made his many picture books perennial favorites with young children. This retelling of the well-loved folktale "The Little Red Hen" continues to draw in preschoolers with its humor and bright primary colors.
32 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 1993
6 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
About the author
Byron Barton
77 books51 followersByron Barton is the author and illustrator of many picture books for young children. He has been honored by ALA, SLJ, and Reading Rainbow. He worked as an animator for CBS before he started creating children's books. He is currently making his illustrations completely on the computer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
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May 22, 2021You know, I don't know what I think of the Little Red Hen! There are going to be times in life where you have to do the entire group project. Your friends are going to flake on you. You'll work harder than others sometimes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be a gracious and generous person. If I was a jerk every time I had a proverbial loaf of bread, I'd have no friends. And neither does Little Red Hen.
There is a difference between teaching your children to be a hard worker and whatever this folk tale is trying to teach.
There is a difference between teaching your children to be a hard worker and whatever this folk tale is trying to teach.
November 15, 2018
At today's Toddler Storytime, we talked a lot about manners! This is a classic, simple story, and one that I would do again. I love all the colorful shapes found throughout this book! The kids and I talked about the different shapes and colors while going through the story.
September 28, 2015
A wonderful read from my childhood, one I’d certainly suggest for other youngsters. Whilst it is not my all-time favourite childhood read I can still recall all the details of this one meaning it certainly left a lasting impression upon my young mind.
And isn’t that what we want with children’s books, for them to leave a positive lasting impression?
And isn’t that what we want with children’s books, for them to leave a positive lasting impression?
May 16, 2014
I like Galdone's version better, but this has a shorter text and bright pictures for a toddler storytime. Plus, my branch has it in a big book format which works well with large groups. 5/22/12
Used this for a garden story time since I had 2 day cares show for preschool story time.
Used this for a garden story time since I had 2 day cares show for preschool story time.
April 26, 2018
Copyright: 1993
Number of Pages: unnumbered
Book Format: hardcover
Reading Level: grades preK-5, GR level: N/A
Genre: Fiction
Lit Requirement: predictable book
Summary:
A little red hen has three friends, a pig, a duck, and a cat. The hen has three baby chicks. When the hen needs help planting and growing wheat, and asks her friends for help, none of them are willing to help. At the end of the book, the hen makes bread from the wheat he grew all by himself. Read the book to see what happens next.
Review:
This book had a great predictable story line that teaches about selfishness as well as helping others. Little kids would learn to help and be kind to others in order for them to be kind and share in return. I enjoyed reading this book because it has a great ending as well as colorful picturs that caught my eye. Overall this was a great book for early readers.
Number of Pages: unnumbered
Book Format: hardcover
Reading Level: grades preK-5, GR level: N/A
Genre: Fiction
Lit Requirement: predictable book
Summary:
A little red hen has three friends, a pig, a duck, and a cat. The hen has three baby chicks. When the hen needs help planting and growing wheat, and asks her friends for help, none of them are willing to help. At the end of the book, the hen makes bread from the wheat he grew all by himself. Read the book to see what happens next.
Review:
This book had a great predictable story line that teaches about selfishness as well as helping others. Little kids would learn to help and be kind to others in order for them to be kind and share in return. I enjoyed reading this book because it has a great ending as well as colorful picturs that caught my eye. Overall this was a great book for early readers.
December 2, 2017
My daughter is a huge fan of Byron Barton's books. This is another one that she loves, always reaches for and pages through on her own. The illustrations are big, simple and captivating to my one-year old. The story follows a hen and her chicks as they grow wheat (without the help of their other farm friends) and eventually make bread. The dialogue is short and perfect to hold her attention if I am reading it out loud to her.
October 2, 2018
Great book about team work and personal initiative. The "Hen" does not stop pursuing her goal to make bread even if it means doing it all alone. I loved the story of empowerment written in simple words children can understand. Colorful illustrations and the size of the book makes for a great read aloud for a classroom.
December 11, 2018
Straightforward telling of the story, but maybe a bit long for a board book audience. I liked that it wasn't abridged, though, as thus we get to see more of the bright cheerful cut paper(?) illustrations of Barton... so fun! (Even if the hen's legs are fat... maybe she's wearing gaiters or something....)
January 21, 2019
A solid easy-to-readaloud version of this tale.
It did leave me wondering what the three chicks were doing: offering moral support to the little red hen? They didn't look like they were helping much, and yet got to partake in the delicious bread. Perhaps an early lesson on how some things just aren't fair.
It did leave me wondering what the three chicks were doing: offering moral support to the little red hen? They didn't look like they were helping much, and yet got to partake in the delicious bread. Perhaps an early lesson on how some things just aren't fair.
January 4, 2023
Read to my Pre-k class today. The kids loved it! By the end they were all hollering how hen has bad friends. I asked them if hen was wrong by saying no to her friends when it came time to eat the bread and they said no. They said the friends got what they deserved 😳😂😂 Great lesson on teamwork, hard work, and emotional awareness
April 28, 2025
A timeless tale of hard work and reward. I truly have met adults that must have never had this story read to them when they were little; it seems to me (more and more) that there are so many people who don't understand working for something that you want. There is a lesson here for so many in corporations - good workers are truly hard to find!
March 24, 2018
Bright, simple and charming illustrations. Barton's language is perfect for young crowds. It is as basic as it can be, is repetitive, and yet flows well. This version involves the red hen and her three chicks, a duck, a cat and a pig making and, of course, not making bread.
October 30, 2025
Eu não tenho lembranças dessa história de quando eu era pequena, mas achei interessante. Lindas as ilustrações de Byron, as cores e formas, junto com o texto simples, fazem o livro ser perfeito pra ler com crianças pequenas.
October 31, 2017
The very traditional story in which those who don't work, don't eat.
May 8, 2018
solid version of the classic story
September 6, 2018
Très bon livre pour les petits qui parle parle de l'entre aide et de partage. A lire jusqu'à 6ans.
March 12, 2019
So cute. I love her sassy reply at the end. "Oh no...WE will eat the bread." Darn right, momma hen.
April 11, 2019
Classic story with very colorful illustrations.
June 19, 2019
Traditional retelling, bright pictures, just the right amount of text for preschoolers' attention span.
July 8, 2019
The classic story, but shortened a bit for very young readers
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September 18, 2020onnumae puriyalai , eppadi padikarathu ennga
December 29, 2020
Love it because Peter loves it. Makes my heart happy to catch him reading.
July 30, 2021
Brightly colored illustrations, repetitive text, opportunity to use different voices. However, may be a bit long for toddlers and the "moral" feels a bit heavy-handed.
May 22, 2023
Just like Flutterby, I loved the art in this one. Don't know if I still agree with the message it had.
February 23, 2025
Great Read Aloud! Valuable lesson about putting in work to get a reward.
December 27, 2025
Oliver did such a good job reading this book tonight! The repetitive text makes it a great choice for young readers.
March 8, 2017
This picturebook is another example of traditional literature. There are many interpretations of this story, and I thought this one was explained the best. It is a young reader book. The main characters are a hen, chicks, pig, cat, and a duck. The hen finds wheat seeds and wants to make it into bread. The hen and her chicks make the bread with no help from the others. This story teaches kids that if you do not help, then you do not always get what you want.
The art in this book is very cute and fun to look at. It almost looks like paper cut outs. The pages alternate between pink, purple, and green. The text describes the illustrations. I really love how they repeat colors for the pages, but the last few pages are black and yellow. It shows that the story is changing. The text is easy to read, and there were no boarders in this book.
The art in this book is very cute and fun to look at. It almost looks like paper cut outs. The pages alternate between pink, purple, and green. The text describes the illustrations. I really love how they repeat colors for the pages, but the last few pages are black and yellow. It shows that the story is changing. The text is easy to read, and there were no boarders in this book.
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March 1, 2016Title: The Little Red Hen
Author: Byron Barton
Illustrator: Byron Barton
Genre: European Folk Tale
Theme(s): Teamwork is important; if you want to do something, make sure you don't let anyone stand in your way (determination); helping others is important; work hard and then receive
Opening line/Sentence: “Once there were four friends- a pig, a duck, a cat and a little red hen.”
Brief Book Summary: This book is about a little red hen who wants help from her animal friends to make bread. However, her friends seem to not want to help her make the bread. Will they eventually help little red hen make the bread? Or will they simply just watch her do all of the work and then ask to eat the bread? Find out by reading along!
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, May 1, 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 17)) Barton's illustrations for this popular nursery tale are reminiscent of children's tempera paintings with their icons of houses, animals, and trees. Simple forms and vibrant colors, sometimes in eye-zapping combinations, give the pages instant appeal and promise to grab the attention of the story hour or classroom crowd right back to the last row. Some will miss hearing the little red hen's classic comeback, "Then I'll do it myself!" Here it's more specific, but blander and less biting--"Then I will plant the seeds," etc. Otherwise, the text stays pretty close to the familiar version. A fresh interpretation of an old favorite.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Susan Hoyle Fournier (Children's Literature) Knowing the importance of reading to babies right from the start; Byron Barton has retold a story and adding colorful characters in a contrasting environment. Infants and young children are sure to love this sturdy and visually stimulating board book. The vibrant illustrations are a perfect complement and are sure to catch the eye of even the youngest observers. Perfect for reading aloud, this book is a must for beginning reading experiences.
Response to two professional reviews:I really enjoyed reading this version of the Story the Little Red Hen. I really liked how this version set out to appeal to a younger crowd. The anticipated repeated phrase/words make it easy for young children to follow along. From reading other books like "Brown Bear Brown Bear" or "Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do you see?" I have learned that repeated words and phrases really help young readers learn better. Both reviews, and myself, agree that the illustrations are perfect for young viewers. The vibrant colors and big images really help guide our eyes to the drawings. I agree especially with the second review in the sense that it is a great read aloud book! Loved this book and will definitely add it to my growing bookshelf.
Evaluation of Literacy Elements: This book is perfect for young/beginner readers. The illustrations are perfect for young children to easily follow along to the story if they do not know the words. I do however believe that this book is not suited for older children looking to read. The repeated words and phrases could make it boring for an advanced reader. This book is great for those who are beginning to learn how to read because there are not many words on a page and the illustrations make it easy to make up a story. The theme of the story is worth teaching as well because friendship and teamwork is used within the classroom!
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would have my class talk about the importance of helping others out. I would make sure they understood the meaning behind the story and that we can't expect to receive a reward if we don't work hard and help others for it. I would definitely act out this story in class within groups. Someone could be the Red Hen and the other 3 students could be the animals saying "no" to helping their friend make bread. I would then ask my students to draw a picture that they think would be the next page to the story if it continued. It would be great to see what they would think would happen next!
Author: Byron Barton
Illustrator: Byron Barton
Genre: European Folk Tale
Theme(s): Teamwork is important; if you want to do something, make sure you don't let anyone stand in your way (determination); helping others is important; work hard and then receive
Opening line/Sentence: “Once there were four friends- a pig, a duck, a cat and a little red hen.”
Brief Book Summary: This book is about a little red hen who wants help from her animal friends to make bread. However, her friends seem to not want to help her make the bread. Will they eventually help little red hen make the bread? Or will they simply just watch her do all of the work and then ask to eat the bread? Find out by reading along!
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, May 1, 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 17)) Barton's illustrations for this popular nursery tale are reminiscent of children's tempera paintings with their icons of houses, animals, and trees. Simple forms and vibrant colors, sometimes in eye-zapping combinations, give the pages instant appeal and promise to grab the attention of the story hour or classroom crowd right back to the last row. Some will miss hearing the little red hen's classic comeback, "Then I'll do it myself!" Here it's more specific, but blander and less biting--"Then I will plant the seeds," etc. Otherwise, the text stays pretty close to the familiar version. A fresh interpretation of an old favorite.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Susan Hoyle Fournier (Children's Literature) Knowing the importance of reading to babies right from the start; Byron Barton has retold a story and adding colorful characters in a contrasting environment. Infants and young children are sure to love this sturdy and visually stimulating board book. The vibrant illustrations are a perfect complement and are sure to catch the eye of even the youngest observers. Perfect for reading aloud, this book is a must for beginning reading experiences.
Response to two professional reviews:I really enjoyed reading this version of the Story the Little Red Hen. I really liked how this version set out to appeal to a younger crowd. The anticipated repeated phrase/words make it easy for young children to follow along. From reading other books like "Brown Bear Brown Bear" or "Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do you see?" I have learned that repeated words and phrases really help young readers learn better. Both reviews, and myself, agree that the illustrations are perfect for young viewers. The vibrant colors and big images really help guide our eyes to the drawings. I agree especially with the second review in the sense that it is a great read aloud book! Loved this book and will definitely add it to my growing bookshelf.
Evaluation of Literacy Elements: This book is perfect for young/beginner readers. The illustrations are perfect for young children to easily follow along to the story if they do not know the words. I do however believe that this book is not suited for older children looking to read. The repeated words and phrases could make it boring for an advanced reader. This book is great for those who are beginning to learn how to read because there are not many words on a page and the illustrations make it easy to make up a story. The theme of the story is worth teaching as well because friendship and teamwork is used within the classroom!
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would have my class talk about the importance of helping others out. I would make sure they understood the meaning behind the story and that we can't expect to receive a reward if we don't work hard and help others for it. I would definitely act out this story in class within groups. Someone could be the Red Hen and the other 3 students could be the animals saying "no" to helping their friend make bread. I would then ask my students to draw a picture that they think would be the next page to the story if it continued. It would be great to see what they would think would happen next!
February 27, 2017
This version of The Little Red Hen is perfect for little ones. The bold colors are engaging, and the simple, straightforward text is easy for them to follow. My kids loved this one when they were a bit younger; they chewed through two board books versions of it!
March 19, 2018
The content of this book teaches children the importance of helping out. The little red hen asked the other animals on the farm for help in a series of events and they refused but when it came time to eat they were interested and the red hen refused to feed them because they did not help. I think this is a great educational book because it teaches children to help others and you will be rewarded.
I gave this book a 5/5 because I loved that you must help out to receive stuff in return. If you don't help out then you won't be rewarded with whatever is being offered. I also love how simple this book is. It is educational, teaches a purposes and the illustrations are repetitive making it easy for children to make a connection.
I gave this book a 5/5 because I loved that you must help out to receive stuff in return. If you don't help out then you won't be rewarded with whatever is being offered. I also love how simple this book is. It is educational, teaches a purposes and the illustrations are repetitive making it easy for children to make a connection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews