Little Red Hen must make matzah for Passover. She asks her friends for help planting grains. "Sorry, bub," neighs Horse. "Think again," barks Dog. Of course, the Little Red Hen does it all herself.

The Little Red Hen has gone through various versions and permutations, but surely this is the first time she has a Yiddish accent. Realizing it's almost Passover, the Little Red Hen says, "Oy gevalt!" She needs matzah for her seder dinner, and that means growing wheat. Horse, Sheep, and Dog are not interested in helping. Harvesting? Again, nope. Milling? "We're resting." By now, the Little Red Hen realizes she's dealing with a bunch of no-goodniks. She bakes the matzah ("according to Jewish law . . . in just eighteen minutes") and then sets her seder table.

Guess who arrives? "What chutzpah!" But then the Little Red Hen remembers the Haggadah's words: "Let all who are hungry come and eat." Children familiar with Passover will get a kick out of this, and the ink-and-watercolor art amusingly captures both the Little Red Hen's aggravation and the animals' turnaround. Those really in the know might wonder about a sheep at a holiday table where lamb's blood plays a major role, but, hey, at least none of the guests are pigs.

Paperback 2011