Little Red Henry

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Little Red Henry

Title:

Little Red Henry

Author:

Urban, Linda, author.

Valentine, Madeline, illustrator.

Summary:

"Little Red Henry's family treats him like a baby. They dress him. They feed him. They try to do everything for him. But he's not really a baby anymore. This makes his family nervous, at first. As they see that he is fine on his own, they discover time to do the things they love. But will things swing too far in the other direction? Even Little Red Henry wants to be at the center of attention sometimes. In this charming reworking of the classic tale of the Little Red Hen, author Linda Urban and illustrator Madeline Valentine gently and humorously depict a family trying to find a middle ground between coddling their youngest member and giving him room to grow."--Jacket flap.

Audience:

Preschool.

General Note:

"A Junior Library Guild selection"--Jacket flap.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 25 x 28 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader 3.0

Subject Term:

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Autonomy -- Juvenile fiction.

Autonomy in children -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Valentine, Madeline,

Publisher:

Candlewick Press,

Electronic Access:

Contributor biographical information
Publisher description

Publication Date:

2015

ISBN:

9780763661762

Publication Information:

Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2015.

Call Number:

P URBAN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003101014	Picture Books	URBAN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Well, there's overprotective--and then there's Little Red Henry's family! A hilarious tale about what happens when a coddled kid asserts his independence.

Little redheaded Henry's family treats him like a baby. They dress him. They feed him. They brush his "widdle toofers." But he's not a baby anymore. He's a little boy who wants to do things for himself. So with his family watching anxiously from the wings, Henry sets out on a glorious day of independence. But will things swing too far in the other direction? In this charming reworking of the classic tale of the Little Red Hen, author Linda Urban and illustrator Madeline Valentine gently and humorously depict a family trying to find a middle ground between hovering over their youngest member and giving him room to grow.

Author Notes

Linda Urban is the author of the picture book Mouse Was Mad, an International Reading Association Children's Choice, and the middle-grade novels A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Hound Dog True, and The Center of Everything . A former bookseller, she lives in Vermont with her family.

Madeline Valentine is the author-illustrator of The Bad Birthday Idea . Painting and drawing have been her favorite activities since she was smaller than Little Red Henry. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-K-Redheaded Henry is the poster child for overprotected kids. Not only does he have "helicopter" parents, he also has a hovering brother and sister. They feed him, dress him, and even offer to brush his "widdle toofers." The capable boy has had enough and tells them so: "I can do it myself!" And he does. Henry arranges his own playdate with next door neighbor Gibson. The boys frolic with great freedom all day, never noticing the watchful eyes trained on them. Henry's newfound self-sufficiency causes his family to fall into a state of listless boredom, but soon they remember some of the things they enjoyed before Henry became their sole focus. They begin to paint, type, waltz, wallpaper, and tap dance. After readying himself for bed, Henry discovers there is still one thing he needs help with. They happily comply with his request to be tucked in and the family achieves some balance. The illustrations, graphite drawings painted in gouache, are colorful and expressively amusing. Text appears in various places on the pages and an enlarged font is used occasionally for emphasis. VERDICT This charming story will resonate with children beginning to assert their independence.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Henry's family is so obsessed with infantilizing its youngest member, "their little redheaded Henry," that they even vie for who gets to brush what Mama insists on calling his "widdle toofers." Fed up, Henry expertly handles his own dental hygiene, chooses his own clothes (after carefully and comically weighing his options), and goes off to a play with his friend next door-and a new era is born. Valentine's (George in the Dark) cleverly composed cartooning slyly portrays how a skewed domestic dynamic rights itself. Henry's family members exude anxiety about their shifting roles, while Henry's confident stride and straight-on gaze speak to a sturdy sense of self. From start to finish, it's an irresistible story for the target audience: Henry's assertiveness results in an epic play date, as Urban's (Mouse Was Mad) terrific text elaborates ("They teeter-totted and monkey-barred and triumphed gloriously on the battlefield"), and his family is still at his beck and call at bedtime. Who says you can't have it all? Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.