THE LITTLE RED HEN

Mr. Holdsworth is perhaps a special taste but, even more than The Gingerbread Boy (1968, 1042, J-374), this is an eminently satisfying rendition of a nursery classic--grave, cleverly but sparingly detailed, closely adjusted to the text. Here the dog, the cat, the pig and the turkey who decline to help the little red hen (until her wheat has become a crusty loaf) are idlers who swim, fish, hold musicales, cycle (tandem), play baseball--all in a vaguely turn-of-the-century garb and with the most self-satisfied expressions. Which makes their dejection at the end all the funnier.