THE LITTLE RED HEN (MAKES A PIZZA)

In the best refashioning of a classic folktale since Eugene Trivizas’s Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (1993), Sturges hilariously extends and modernizes the original. Little Red Hen can’t even begin to satisfy her sudden yen for pizza until she’s visited the hardware store (for a pan), the supermarket, and the deli (for mozzarella and a few other ingredients). Does she get any help with her many errands and hard work? “Not I.” “Not I.” “Not I.” Walrod’s stunningly inventive paper collages will draw gasps and chortles with every turn of the page; each carton, label, cold cut and anchovy is limned with crisp precision, as are the hen’s unhelpful neighbors—a pop-eyed dog, a duck in a swimsuit, and a blue hep cat with a beret and saxophone. Since Hen’s “lovely little pizza” comes out of the oven lovely, but not little, she invites her friends in, and after the feast, who will help with the dirty dishes? “I will.” “I will.” “I will.”(Picture book/folklore. 5-7)