The Little Red Hen / An Old English Folk Tale

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

18735

Title

The Little Red Hen / An Old English Folk Tale

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A timeless folk tale retold by Florence White Williams, this story follows the industrious Little Red Hen as she teaches a lesson in responsibility. While the Pig, Cat, and Rat shirk every task, the Hen works alone to plant, harvest, and bake bread, ultimately earning the right to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

Summary up to 500 words

In the bustling barnyard of an old English folk tale, the industrious Little Red Hen spends her days diligently hunting for worms to feed her chicks. Her life changes when she discovers a wheat seed, realizing its potential to grow into grain, flour, and bread. She immediately seeks assistance from the Pig, the Cat, and the Rat to plant the seed. However, the animals, characterized by their laziness and desire to grow fat without effort, refuse to help, claiming they are too busy. Undeterred, the Little Red Hen takes the seed herself and begins the arduous task of planting it. As the summer progresses, the other animals indulge in idleness while the wheat grows tall and golden. When harvest time arrives, the Hen again asks for help cutting the wheat. The Pig, Cat, and Rat repeat their refusal. The Hen, feeling a deep sense of responsibility, cuts the wheat alone, even pausing to feed her chicks before continuing her work. The cycle of refusal continues as she asks who will thresh the grain and who will carry the heavy sack to the mill. Each time, the animals turn their backs, leaving the Hen to perform these laborious tasks single-handedly. After a strenuous day of carrying the wheat to the mill, grinding it into flour, and returning home, the Hen decides to bake bread. Once more, she calls upon her barnyard neighbors for help, but they decline once again. The Cat giggles lazily, the Rat admires himself in a mirror, and the Pig snores in the distance. The Little Red Hen, having done all the work from seed to flour, puts on a fresh apron and bakes the bread to perfection. When the delicious aroma of fresh bread fills the air, the animals eagerly claim they want to eat it. The Pig, Cat, and Rat all shout, "I will!" However, the Little Red Hen, having earned the reward through her own sweat and toil, firmly declares that she will eat the bread herself. She enjoys the delicious loaf while the others watch hungrily. The story concludes with a powerful moral lesson: one must be willing to work hard to enjoy the rewards of that labor, and those who refuse to contribute to the effort have no right to share in the benefits.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Animals
• Chickens