Story: The Little Red Hen
This is my retelling of one of my favorite classic nursery stories. When I tell this story, I like to pantomime the actions of the little red hen as she plants, cuts, grinds, and bakes the wheat. The animal sounds also help bring the story to life (see this post for a complete Little Red Hen circle time). Enjoy!
Once upon a time there was a little red hen who lived with her friends, the cow, the horse, and the cat. In the springtime the flowers were blossoming, the leaves were appearing on the trees once more, and the farmers were busy planting their fields. The little red hen was delighted to find some seeds of wheat and she hurried home to show them to her friends.
The little red hen said, “Who will help me plant the wheat?”
“Moooo. Not I,” said the cow.
“Neigh. Not I,” said the horse.
“Meow. Not I,” said the kitty cat.
So the little red hen said, “Then I will plant the seeds of wheat all by myself.” And so she planted the seeds of wheat.
In the summertime, the sun glowed bright and hot, the fields and gardens were growing and growing, and everywhere was green. The wheat grew tall and golden in the sun, and the little red hen asked her friends, “Who will help me cut the wheat?”
“Moooo. Not I,” said the cow.
“Neigh. Not I,” said the horse.
“Meow. Not I,” said the kitty cat.
So the little red hen said, “Then I will cut the wheat all by myself.” And so she cut the stalks of wheat.
In the autumn, the days grew cooler, the leaves turned beautiful shades of red and orange, gold and brown, and the farmers were busy bringing in the harvest. The little red hen asked her friends, “Who will help me take the wheat to the mill?”
“Moooo. Not I,” said the cow.
“Neigh. Not I,” said the horse.
“Meow. Not I,” said the kitty cat.
So the little red hen said, “Then I will take the wheat to the mill all by myself.” And so she took the wheat to the mill. The miller ground the wheat into flour, and then the little red hen brought the big bags of flour back home.
In the winter the snow fell and the days were short and very cold. The little red hen asked her friends, “Who will help me bake the bread?”
“Moooo. Not I,” said the cow.
“Neigh. Not I,” said the horse.
“Meow. Not I,” said the kitty cat.
So the little red hen said, “Then I will bake the bread all by myself.” And so she took the flour, mixed it and kneaded it and put it in the oven. And while the bread was baking, it smelled wonderful! The cow and the horse and the cat came running when they smelled that fresh bread.
The little red hen took the bread out of the oven and asked her friends, “Who will help me eat the bread?”
“Moooo. I will!” said the cow.
“Neigh. I will!” said the horse.
“Meow. I will!” said the kitty cat.
But the little red hen said, “Oh, no, no, no! I planted the seeds of wheat, I cut the wheat, I took the wheat to the mill and brought home the flour, and I baked the bread, all by myself. Now I will eat the bread - all by myself!” And so she did, and it was delicious!