Stories from Grandma Susan: February 2013

THE LITTLE RED HEN

The Little Red Hen is a folktale ,possibly of Russian and or British origin. It is a moralistic story, which means , like fables, it teaches a lesson. In this story , The Little Red Hen does all the work and her housemates do not help. Her housemates learn that everyone has to share responsibilities, and that laziness can sometimes result in unfortunate consequences.

The Little Red Hen was first published as a story in the 19th century and has gained wide popularity. The types of animals that live with the Little Red Hen vary from version to version. In this version (written in rhyme), the animals who live with the Hen are a dog, cat and mouse.

To view the pictures larger, click on the first picture and then click all others in the line in turn.

THE LITTLE RED HEN

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You might enjoy listening to a song about The Little Red Hen, sung by actor/musician Josh Katzman:

CLICK ON

SONG

CHICKEN LITTLE

Chicken Little is a very old European folktale which dates back many centuries. There are many versions of the story, with different names. The most popular alternate version is known as Henny Penny, in which Henny Penny is the main character. In the United States, Chicken Little is the primary character in the story. In many versions, names of the characters change.

As with many folktales, there are a variety of versions. Some of the versions have a happy ending. Some have a sad ending which makes the folktale a "cautionary tale"... a tale with a warning. The folktale is basically a "cumulative tale" in which actions and/or dialogue repeats and builds up as the story goes along.

Presented here is my own version of the story. Most of the tale follows the traditional story, but my ending is somewhat different than other narratives.

STORY PAGE BY PAGE, SOON TO BE COMPLETED.