The Little Red Hen: An Old Story Hardcover – November 1, 1983

Great books the my son's love when it's time for reading great literature.

In this post-modern day and age, it's sometimes difficult to go back and read old classic fairy tales without looking at them with an overly-critical eye. Take, for example, the case of the little red hen. When I think of the little red hen my mind instantly jumps, for better or for worse, to Jon Scieszka's, "The Stinky Cheese Man: And Other Fairly Stupid Tales". If you've read it then you'll know which passage instantly jumps to mind. In the book, the little red hen launches an overwrought diatribe about how she and she alone has done all the work in baking some bread. Her voice rises to a self-righteous shriek, the like of which has remained embedded in my little brain ever since. It takes a real work of art to unlodge such a shriek. Fortunately, author/illustrator Margot Zemach is such an artist.The book displays the original tale without so much as a word awry. A little red hen wishes to make some bread. For each task in the making she asks for help from a goose, a cat, and a pig. When such help is not forthcoming, she makes do on her own. Then, at the end, when she utters those magical words, "Who will help me EAT the bread?", her friends miraculously find that this is just the kind of task they'd like to aid in. However, the hen denies them this pleasure, pointing out (not unfairly) that she did all the work. She then shares the food with her brood, who did help all along.If you need a version to tell your kids that is the universally recognized version, this is a good book to consult. But Zemach avoids a potential pitfall that could've swamped her effort. In some versions of this tale, the hen's final speech is delivered in this self-righteous glow of satisfaction (the kind of thing Sciszka would make fun of in the aforementioned, "Stinky Cheese Man"). Here, Zemach has tempered that emotion. In her illustrations, the hen is a cheerful matron with her offspring helping when they can. The goose, cat, and pig are nattily dressed. The goose sports a pattered shawl and bonnet. The cat wears a boatsman's straw hat, sometimes a vest, and sometimes suspenders. The pig also wears a vest, but on his head he doffs a silk top hat. Together, the three engage in a variety of occupations (most of which involve cards at a card table). I've noticed that in other versions of this tale (versions that were almost certainly inspired by Zemach), the lazy animals almost always play cards. It must be some universal symbol of idleness. And at the end, when the hen delivers her final words, she speaks to the three bumpkins with a sweet cheery expression on her face. She's not above enjoying her moment of triumph, but neither does she rub it in.Versions of this book published today sometimes end with the hen sharing her food with the three lagabouts anyway, thereby squashing the point of the story (but helping the goose, cat, and pig's self-esteem). Oog. Give me Zemach's original tale any day over such modern "improvements". It's very satisfying for kids to see a character struggle, overcome her problems, and then deny her false friends any reward. Does it speak to our baser instincts? Of course! That's the joy of it! So if you'd like to get your kid grounded in one of the best fairy tales ever concocted, seriously consider the Margot Zemach edition of that fine and fabulous, "Little Red Hen".