Before reading
What do you think she is carrying?
Read aloud
Once upon a time there was a little red hen who lived in a small yard with her friends: a sleepy cat, a lazy dog, and a duck who liked to wander.
One morning, while she was scratching in the earth, the little red hen found a few grains of wheat.
"Who will help me plant this wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the cat. "Not I," said the dog. "Not I," said the duck.
"Then I will plant it myself," said the little red hen. And she did.
The sun shone, the rain fell, and the wheat grew tall and golden.
The little red hen said, "Who will help me cut this wheat?"
"Not I," said the cat. "Not I," said the dog. "Not I," said the duck.
"Then I will cut it myself," said the little red hen. And she did.
She threshed the wheat, tied it into a bundle, and carried it to the mill to be ground into flour.
When she came home, she said, "Who will help me make this flour into bread?"
"Not I," said the cat. "Not I," said the dog. "Not I," said the duck.
"Then I will make it myself," said the little red hen.
She mixed the flour with water and yeast. She kneaded the dough, shaped the loaf, and baked it until the whole kitchen smelled warm and good.
When the bread was done, the little red hen set it on the table. "Who will help me eat this bread?" she asked.
"I will," said the cat. "I will," said the dog. "I will," said the duck.
But the little red hen shook her head. "No," she said. "I planted the wheat, cut the wheat, carried the wheat, ground the wheat, mixed the dough, and baked the bread. I will eat it myself."
And she did. It was warm, sweet, honest bread.
The cat, the dog, and the duck smelled the bread and grew quiet. They began to understand that the magic of bread was not only in the oven. It was in the willing hands that planted, carried, ground, kneaded, and waited.
After reading
Choose one response. Do not do all of them unless the children want more.
Ask: What did the little red hen make?
For older children: What should her friends have done?
Draw the bread basket, wheat, the hen, or the warm loaf on the table.
Little ones can just make golden lines or circles.
Warm bread waits on the table.
For younger children: copy one word: bread.
Let the child stir, shape one roll, carry napkins, or smell the bread when it comes from the oven.