The Little Red Hen

Illustrated by Ruth Bendel

Copyright 1957

The Little Red Hen is a popular folk tale that has been around for generations.  The farm animal characters make this a fun story for children and the repetition makes it easy to remember and retell.  It is the story of a hard-working resourceful mother hen who plants wheat, cuts and threshes the wheat, takes it to the mill, and finally bakes bread, all by herself.  At each step, she asks the other farm animals if they would like to help.  “Not I!” is their consistent reply.  Until the end, that is.  For when the bread is baked and ready to eat, the other animals are eager to help!  The Little Red Hen firmly reminds them of their laziness and does not share her bread with them.  The pig states sorrowfully, “A little work and a little less sleep wouldn’t have hurt me any.”  

Let’s hope the lazy little pig learned his lesson.  If he wants the reward, he needs to put in the hard work!  Take a lesson from the little red hen and don’t complain if nobody wants to help you.  Just keep working hard, because hard work yields a reward.  This is a great lesson to keep in mind at the beginning of the gardening season.  Months of planning, planting, watering and weeding are necessary for a healthy harvest!