"THE COCK, THE MOUSE, AND THE LITTLE RED HEN"

by Graham--Illus. Percy ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1992

An unattributed expansion of the familiar nursery tale about a cock and mouse who mend their unhelpful ways after their housemate cleverly contrives their escape from a fox. Percy's smooth color-pencil style is as effective here as it was in his illustrations for Reynard the Fox (1991); the appealing animals are sly caricatures of their human counterparts, the realistic settings so lucidly rendered that they will be clear to the youngest listeners. The retelling is brisk and contemporary, but includes a decidedly odd addition: The ""four bad little foxes"" who live with the big fox not only volunteer to help with the cooking, but are actually seen at work making preparations for it--which sets them at least a couple of rungs above the cock and mouse on the moral ladder. What are we to make of that? It certainly undermines the story's original didactic intent.

Pub Date: March 1, 1992

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: "Candlewick (2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridges, MA 02140)"

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992

Categories: CHILDREN'S