The Little Red Hen

This story is called The Little Red Hen, written by Florence White Williams, and adapted and read by Madeline Walton-Hadlock and Lorena Romero. This is a LibraryCall recording. Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who lived in a barn. She spent almost all of her time walking around, looking here and there, digging everywhere to find worms. She loved fat, delicious worms, and she felt like they were absolutely necessary for the health of her children. As soon as she found a worm, she would call “cluck, cluck” to her little chicks and they would come running. As they gathered around her, she would distribute pieces of the scrumptious snack. She was always so busy! In the barn, there lived a lazy cat who frequently took naps in front of the granary. He didn’t even bother to chase the mouse that ran around all over the place as he pleased! The pig who lived in the pigpen didn’t care about anything, as long as he was kept well-fed with slop and other delicacies. One day, the little red hen found something new on the ground as she was searching for a snack. It was a shiny seed of wheat. She was so used to finding insects and worms that she thought the seed was some type of new, and perhaps delicious, meat. She picked at it, but it didn’t taste anything like a worm. She examined the seed, wondering what it could possibly be. She decided to consult the crow who was perched on a fence nearby. Crows always seemed to know about these kinds of things. “Of course I know what that is,” said the crow. “It’s a wheat seed. The farmers plant it, and after it grows, they cut it down, turn it into flour, and bake it into delicious bread.” ‘Well, that sounds like a good idea,’ thought the Little Red Hen. But it also sounded like a lot of work, so she decided to ask the other barn animals for help. After all, she was always busy looking for bugs to feed her family. The pig always had a lot of free time. She also thought of the lazy cat and the mouse who had plenty of time to run around the barn. She asked in a loud voice: “Who will help me plant this seed?” But, the pig said, “Not me.” And the cat said, “Not me.” And the mouse said, “Not me.” The little red hen replied, “Fine, then I will do it myself.” And she did. When the wheat was at its full height and ready to be cut, she found the farmer’s sickle, a sharp cutting tool, and harvested the wheat. The wheat plants were in a large stack on the ground, ready to be threshed and stored. This was the hardest part of preparing wheat– separating the wheat grains from the stalk. The poor little red hen! Her attention was torn between caring for her children and caring for the wheat. So, once again, she asked the other animals, “Who will thresh the wheat?” But the pig, with a grunt said, “Not me.” And the cat, with a meow said, “Not me.” And the mouse, with a squeak said, “Not me.” The Little Red Hen puffed up her feathers and said with a sigh, “Fine, then I will do it.” And she did. After tucking her chicks into bed, she went out to thresh the wheat on her own. The next day, she woke up bright and early and asked, “Who will take the wheat to the mill to grind it?” The pig rudely turned his head away from the hen and said, “Not me.” And the cat said, “Not me.” And the mouse said, “Not me.” The Little Red Hen had no choice but to say, “I will do it.” And she did. It was time to bake bread from the flour that had been milled from the wheat. She wasn’t used to making bread, but anyone could do it if they carefully followed a recipe, she thought. After her chicks had eaten and were ready to start their morning, the Little Red Hen went to find the pig, the cat and the mouse. Feeling confident that one day they would help, she asked, “Who will bake the bread?” Once more, all her hopes vanished when the pig rolled over in the mud and said, “Not me.” And the cat stretched in a sunbeam said, “Not me.” And the mouse chewed distractedly on a piece of wool and said, “Not me.” “Fine, I will do it,” said the Little Red Hen once again. And she did. She spent the day mixing and kneading the dough, preparing the baking trays, and baking the bread in the oven. Finally, the big moment arrived. A delicious scent floated on the breeze. The Little Red Hen followed the aroma to the kitchen. The bread was ready, and it when she pulled it out of the oven she found that it was baked to perfection. Then, probably out of habit, she asked, “Who will eat the bread?” All the animals in the barn had followed the scent, too. They were hungry and licked their lips in anticipation. The pig said, “I will eat it!” The cat said, “I will eat it!” The mouse said, “I will eat it!” But the Little Red Hen smiled and replied, “No, you will not. I will eat it myself.” And she did. The end. Thank you for listening to The Little Red Hen, written by Florence White Williams, and adapted and read by Madeline Walton-Hadlock and Lorena Romero. This was a LibraryCall recording.