The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) [Hardcover]

Philomen Sturges (Author), Amy Walrod (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A spirited, quirky, and thoroughly modern remake of the classic tale about an industrious hen and the gastronomical rewards of hard work and self-reliance

Kids love pizza, and they will love this cleverly illustrated, up-to-date retelling of the traditional Little Red Hen story. In this new version, the intrepid fowl spies a can of tomato sauce in her cupboard and knows it's time to make a lovely little pizza.

Children will enjoy following the process of making a pizza as the Little Red Hen--who can get no help from the duck, the dog, or the cat--buys an appropriate pan, kneads the dough, cuts and chops vegetables (and other stuff) for a fabulous topping, and bakes a humongous pizza ("It was lovely, but it wasn't little"). Despite many a "Not I," the duck, the dog, and the cat finally do help out (of course) in ways that will surprise and delight young readers.

Amy Walrod's exuberant, witty cut-paper art combines interesting composition with humorous expression and detail to create a world that gives a special accent to the offbeat adaptation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sturges's (Bridges Are to Cross) retelling of "The Little Red Hen" exudes charm, thanks to conversational narration and Walrod's (Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores) delightful cut-paper images. One day, the feathered heroine, assembled from russet, fibrous paper stock and wearing a teal scarf, has a hankering for pizza and attempts to recruit the help of her neighborsAa yellow duck in a flowered swim cap, a cardboard-brown dog sporting a biscuits box and party hat and a hip blue cat with a beret and sax. But Sturges's modern fowl, rather than drafting helpers to harvest wheat, asks, "Who'll run to the store and get me some flour?" They reply with the classic, " 'Not I,' said the duck. 'Not I,' said the cat. 'Not I,' said the dog. 'Very well, then, I'll fetch some myself,' said the Little Red Hen." After repeating this ritual several times, the hen prepares her masterpiece solo. Time-lapse sequences show her kneading dough, grating cheese and slicing pepperoni. She holds no grudges against the duck, cat and dog, who share the meal, and all ends happily when the three volunteer to wash the dishes. Sturges makes the most of the repetitive formula and the hen's impulsiveness; each time the hen struts to the market for one thing, she can't resist buying "...some other stuff." Walrod's collages make cutting and pasting look like a breeze. She invents tidy packages for each miniature store-bought item and uses an abundance of textured paper stock for her fluent images. Her pizza pie really does look good enough to eat. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A funky rendition of the classic tale. Hen, having decided to make a pizza, discovers that she lacks certain necessities, such as a proper pan. "`Cluck,' she said. `I need a pizza pan.'" When she asks her neighbors to help her out, she gets the expected response: "Not I," said the duck donning her swim cap and tube. "Not I," said the dog wearing a box of dog biscuits and a party hat. "Not I," said the hep blue cat playing the saxophone. So off the Little Red Hen goes to the store to buy the things she needs-along with others she surely does not need, such as a guide to sink installation. When she finally gets her pizza made, the three unaccommodating friends change their tune. The plot takes two nifty twists at the end-and this Little Red Hen is not quite as punitive as in the original story. There's a keen sense of the absurd here, and the hilarious cut-paper illustrations are right in tune with the zany plot. This version can be pored over again and again as much can escape the eye the first time around. It is aimed at an older audience than Alan Garner's The Little Red Hen (DK Ink, 1997). Children who appreciate the humor of Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Viking, 1989) will fall under this book's spell as well. Destined to be quite the crowd pleaser.
Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525459537
• ISBN-13: 978-0525459538
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philemon has had a strong appetite for books since he was a boy. He loves to read books and poetry aloud in his booming voice. The father of three grown daughters, Philemon enjoys visiting schools and writing for a young audience. "Everything is new to kids," says Philemon. "it is an honor to introduce them to things -- plus, it's fun!"

A former award-winning architect, Philemon now uses his vision to create books rather than buildings. Philemon had his first book published in 1995 and has published at least a book a year since then. He typically likes to work on two or three new story ideas at a time.

As a boy, Philemon spent many summers at his grandpa's house in Bristol, Rhode Island, where he fell in love with boats and the sea. After a four-year Navy stint in Japan, he moved back to Rhode Island. When he wasn't working on the development of downtown Providence, the waterfront of Newport, or the boat basin on Nantucket, he spent his time sailing, clamming, and riding the waves in his dory, the Dawn Treader. He even spent a year living on an old ferryboat moored in Providence Harbor.

Currently, Philemon splits his time between the city and the country. He can be found at home in the heart of Boston's South End (in a brownstone he redesigned) or out in the charming country town of Princeton, Massachusetts. He lives with his wife, Judy Sue, and his two dogs, Rufina and Giotto. Wherever he is, Philemon enjoys cooking and eating and spending time with friends. (Rufina and Giotto love his leftovers!)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A moral story with a new moral, July 21, 2003

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Hardcover)

I read this book to a student during some volunteer work. While I liked the way the classic story had been made more urban in order to be more associational for many readers, I was disappointed in two places.

The first is a little trivial, when the Hen needs cheese, it mentions all the cheese she has, including string cheese, but no mozzarella. Unfortunately, string cheese is mozzarella.

But my real problem is that the original moral of the story, that the lazy animals do not benefit from the Hen's hard work. Instead they all get some pizza and are guilt-tripped into helping clean up.

While I can accept the change in scenery (and pizza instead of bread), I have a hard time accepting that the moral has been changed.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 21, 1999

By 

cassandraandvixen (NH, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Hardcover)

I received this book in the mail from a club by accident and kept it because my just-turned 3 year old and I enjoyed it so much. Children really enjoy repetitions (the cat, dog and duck constantly say "Not I." to pleas for help from the red hen. And then there are the numerous mentions about pickled eggplant which have become a joke in our house.) in this book, and it excites my daughter to "read" the next page before I do. It enforces a nice theme of helping each other and the pictures are wonderful. I intend to give it as a gift to several friends!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very cute - but I have mixed feelings about change in moral, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Hardcover)

I checked this out of the library thinking it would be an update of the classic tale. I loved the colorful illustrations and my daughter did enjoy the book. However, I had been expecting the typical story -- where those that didn't participate in helping didn't get to share the product. I was surprised that after all the rounds of "not I" the other animals did eat the pizza. I'm not sure what the moral is supposed to be, or if it is one that I want for my daughter. Sure, I would like her to be generous and share, so if she models herself after the hen, great. But I don't want her to mimic the other animals attitudes toward helping out. The others do help with the dishes at the end, but still.... you just need to be aware of the change before you bring the book home.