The Little Red Hen

March 29, 1993
As he did in The Three Bears , Barton here skillfully pares down a well-known tale for the youngest readers and listeners. Vibrant hues abound in his full-page, collage-like illustrations, which show the industrious little red hen and her three cooperative chicks planting seeds; harvesting, threshing and grinding wheat; and baking bread--while a carefree pig, duck and cat cavort merrily, repeatedly refusing to lend a hand. Of course, their one and only offer to help is turned down, and as the three hapless animals peer through the hen's kitchen window, she serves the warm loaf to her open-mouthed offspring. Creatively balancing simple sentences and vivid images, Barton wraps up this wise mother's timeless message into a neat package. Ages 3-6.

July 1, 2011
These four books (more to come) appear in a uniform paper-over-board edition. Galdone was a refreshingly modest illustrator: his retellings are straightforward and his unassumingly loose-lined, color-separated pictures provide just enough embellishment, as when the lazy cat in The Little Red Hen lolls on the couch, dreaming of sardines. Plenty of white space gives the stories all the room they need.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)