The Little Red Hen Read online

  The Little Red Hen

  Paul Galdone

  * * *

  The Little Red Hen

  Clarion Books

  a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint

  215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003

  Copyright © RENEWED 2001 BY PAUL F CALDONE

  All rights reserved.

  For information about permission to reproduce

  selections from this book, write to Permissions,

  Houghton Mifflin Company,

  215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003.

  Printed in the USA

  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-97770

  ISBN 0-395-28803-7 Paperback ISBN 0-89919-349-8

  Book designed by Paul Caldone.

  WOZ 50 49 48 47

  The Little Red Hen

  PAUL GALDONE

  CLARION BOOKS

  NEW YORK

  Once upon a time

  a cat and a dog and a mouse

  and a little red hen

  all lived together in a cozy little house.

  The cat liked to sleep all day

  on the soft couch.

  The dog liked to nap all day

  on the sunny back porch.

  And the mouse liked to snooze all day

  in the warm chair by the fireside.

  So the little red hen had to do all the housework.

  She cooked the meals and washed the dishes

  and made the beds. She swept the floor

  and washed the windows

  and mended the clothes.

  She raked the leaves

  and mowed the grass

  and hoed the garden.

  One day when she was hoeing the garden

  she found some grains of wheat.

  "Who will plant this wheat?"

  cried the little red hen.

  "Not I," said the cat.

  "Not I," said the dog.

  "Not I," said the mouse.

  "Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.

  Each morning the little red hen watered the wheat

  and pulled the weeds.

  Soon the wheat pushed through the ground

  and began to grow tall.

  When the wheat was ripe,

  the little red hen asked,

  "Who will cut this wheat?"

  "Not I," said the cat.

  "Not I," said the dog.

  "Not I," said the mouse.

  "Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.

  When the wheat was all cut, the little red hen asked,

  "Now, who will take this wheat to the mill

  to be ground into flour?"

  "Not I," said the cat.

  "Not I," said the dog.

  "Not I," said the mouse.

  "Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.

  The little red hen returned from the mill

  carrying a small bag of fine white flour.

  "Who will make a cake from this fine white flour?"

  asked the little red hen.

  "Not I," said the cat.

  "Not I," said the dog.

  "Not I," said the mouse.

  "Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.

  She gathered sticks and made a fire in the stove.

  Then she took milk and sugar and eggs and butter

  and mixed them in a big bowl

  with the fine white flour.

  When the oven was hot she poured

  the cake batter into a shining pan

  and put it in the oven.

  Soon a delicious smell

  filled the cozy little house.

  The cat got off the soft couch

  and strolled into the kitchen.

  The dog got up from the sunny back porch

  and came into the kitchen.

  The mouse jumped down from his warm chair

  and scampered into the kitchen.

  The little red hen

  was just taking

  a beautiful cake

  out of the oven.

  "Who will eat this cake?"

  asked the little red hen.

  "I will!" cried the cat.

  "I will!" cried the dog.

  "I will!" cried the mouse.

  But the little red hen said,

  "All by myself

  I planted the wheat,

  I tended the wheat,

  I cut the wheat,

  I took the wheat to the mill

  to be ground into flour.

  All by myself

  I gathered the sticks,

  I built the fire,

  I mixed the cake.

  And

  all by myself

  I am going to eat it!"

  And so she did,

  to the very last crumb.

  After that,

  whenever there was work to be done,

  the little red hen had three very eager helpers.

 

 

  Paul Galdone, The Little Red Hen

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