The Little Red Hen

by Paul Galdone

Overview

Little Red Hen is a time-tested cautionary tale about how we reap what we sow. When the hen asks a cat, dog, and mouse for help planting some wheat, she gets no takers: "‘Not I!’ said the cat. ‘Not I!’ said the dog. ‘Not I!’ said the mouse." They won’t water, cut, or grind the wheat . . . or help bake a cake with it, either. So guess who eats the cake by herself in the end? The Caldecott Honor artist Paul Galdone’s delightfully detailed ink and wash illustrations—packed with charming details—add plenty of sly humor to the well-loved story that not only offers a sage message but also shows children what it takes to make a cake from the ground up!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395288030
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	07/28/1979
Series:	Marital, Couple, & Family Counseling
Edition description:	Reinforced Edition
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	7.25(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1907 and emigrated to the United States in 1928. After finishing his studies at the Art Student League and the New York School of Industrial Design, Mr. Galdone worked in the art department of a major publishing house. There he was introduced to the process of bookmaking, an activity that was soon to become his lifelong career. Before his death in 1986, Mr. Galdone illustrated almost three hundred books, many of which he himself wrote or retold. He is fondly remembered for his contemporary style, bright earthy humor, and action-filled illustrations, which will continue to delight for generations to come.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The familiar story of the busy little hen and her three lazy friends is delightfully illustrated with pictures that have color and vitality, the humor of the story is extracted in full and most evident in the faces of the dog, cat, and mouse. The setting is a dilapidated farmhouse, and the text and pictures are nicely correlated: Galdone at his best." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Every mother has her day, and the freeloading cat, dog and mouse their comeuppance, in fresh, expressive pictures that do full justice to the enduring tale. . . . The industrious hen provides the action, and it's all played out in a minutely realized dilapidated old farmhouse and a sunny yard that fairly leaps with wheat and weeds and flowers." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers

"This imaginative rendition will surely help sustain the popularity of this old favorite." School Library Journal, Starred

Editorial Reviews

"This imaginative rendition will surely help sustain the popularity of this old favorite." School Library Journal, Starred

From the Publisher

Recent versions of the Little Red Hen are available but for a faithful retelling with the focus on the hen, Galdone has a good one. Each animal resident of the cozy house refuses to help the Little Red Hen with her tasks of planting, cutting the wheat and baking the cake. However everyone wants to help eat the cake after it comes out of the oven. The Little Red Hen refuses any help with that but does gain some eager helpers for her future tasks. In this classic story about helping with tasks, Galdone includes some cheerful details for young readers: pictures of the residents in the cozy house, showing the objects in their dreams and whimsical details with the letters in the oft-repeated phrase, "Not I." This particular edition has a nice size text font for beginning readers and the book is a nice size for small hands. If one wants to read this aloud, the book's size also works very well to hold up and show the wonderful pen and ink illustrations. This handsome reissue can help preschool and early elementary readers learn about the importance of everyone contributing to a project equally, and it teaches the lesson with humor and cleverness. Reviewer: Elizabeth Fronk

Children's Literature - Elizabeth Fronk