At the back of the farmyard, the frog, the cat and the little red hen lived together in a snug wooden house. It was cozy and clean - but no thanks to the frog or the cat! The little red hen did all the work, while they lazed in a bed. She tidied the house, lit the fire, did the washing and cooked the meals.
"Why don’t you get up?" she cried one morning. "The weather’s lovely. You could be painting the house or chopping wood or mending the gate." But the frog just turned over and put his head under the covers. And the cat said, "How can I sleep with you squawking?"
Then the little red hen fetched a bag of flour. "Today I’m going to bake a loaf. Who’ll light the stove for me?"
"Not me!" yawned the cat, stretching out on the bed.
"Not me!" groaned the frog from under the covers.
So the little red hen fetched wood from the yard and lit the stove, then washed her sooty feathers in the sink. "Now, who’s going to knead the dough for me? It’s easy - you just pull it and fold it and press it, like this."
"Not me!" snapped the cat. "It looks like hard work!"
"Not me!" grumbled the frog. "I didn’t see what you did."
So the little red hen kneaded the dough herself and pushed the loaf into the oven. Soon, the glorious smell of baking bread wafted though the house. "Now, who’s going to fetch the butter?"
"Not me!" sighed the cat. "I’m still asleep."
"Not me! moaned the frog. "I’m too tired."
So the little red hen went down to the dairy and asked the cow for her yellow butter. Then she carried it back to the house.
"Now, who will cut the bread for me? she asked, putting the loaf on the table.
"My paw’s sore," wailed the cat.
"I might cut myself," whined the frog.
"But who will help me eat the loaf?" asked the little red hen.
"I will!" cried the cat scampering down the ladder.
"So will I!" yelled the frog, leaping out of bed.
"Oh, please don’t trouble yourselves," said the little red hen. Then, tucking the loaf under one wing and the butter under the other, she ran out of the house into the barn. And she ate the bread all by herself!
Story Time � 1984-1989 by Rubicon Press CC