The summer was long and hot. The Hen spent her mornings tending to the Wheat instead of searching for worms. She still managed to keep her children fed.
The porch rail grew too hot for the Cat to lounge. The tin cans that the Mouse loved to hide in became rusted. And the Pig preferred the shade these days.
The Wheat grew and grew and grew. The Little Red Hen knew someone had to harvest it. The Stalk was large, and the grain was ready. She also knew that her babies missed the many worms they usually ate! What was she to do?
From beside the Stalk, she called out, "Who will cut this Wheat?"
The Cat peaked her head out from under the porch and stretched lazily: "Not I."
The Mouse came up from a hole in the ground and hollered, "Not I!"
The Pig moseyed out from inside her pen and grumbled, "Not I…"
From beside the Stalk, she called out, "Who will cut this Wheat?"