The Little Red Hen and the Loaf of Bread
When a little red hen asks her animal friends to help plant and harvest wheat for bread, she's met with refusals. See what happens when she bakes and enjoys the bread all by herself.
The Little Red Hen lived on a cozy farm with her animal friends including a lazy dog, a snoozy cat, and a noisy duck. One sunny day, the Little Red Hen found some wheat seeds and decided she wanted to plant the seeds to make flour and bake yummy bread.
She asked her friends "Who will help me plant the wheat seeds?" But her friends were too lazy and made excuses not to help. "Not I," barked the little dog. "Too tired," meowed the cat. "Quack, nope!" said the duck.
So the Little Red Hen worked hard all by herself - plowing the soil, sowing the seeds, watering them, and pulling the weeds around the wheat. As the wheat grew tall, the Little Red Hen asked her friends "Who will help me harvest the wheat?" But again, they were too lazy to help.
After the wheat was harvested, the Little Red Hen asked "Who will help me take this wheat to the miller to get flour?" The other animals continued to be lazy and refuse to help. So the hen went to the miller by herself and returned with bags of flour.
Finally, the Little Red Hen asked "Who will help me bake the flour into delicious bread?" The dog, cat and duck still refused. "Then I will do it myself!" clucked the determined hen. She kneaded the dough, lit the oven, and baked the bread all herself, filling the kitchen with a mouthwatering smell.
Just as she pulled the hot, crusty bread from the oven, her friends came running, asking "Can we help eat the bread now?" But the Little Red Hen taught them a lesson and said, "No, you did not help bake it. I will eat the bread myself!" And so she enjoyed the bread happily all by herself as a reward for doing all the hard work on her own.
Hard work and initiative should be rewarded. Those who contribute to an effort deserve to partake in its results and benefits; not those looking for a free ride.