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Author: Florence White Williams

Florence White Williams (1895–1953) primarily worked as an artist and illustrator and retold the famous story of “The Little Red Hen.” Born in Putney, Vermont, she attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, now known as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Williams illustrated classic children’s stories, as well as magazines like Child Life, the Christian Science Monitor, Little Folks, and St. Nicholas Magazine. Her artwork has been exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Art, Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, and the Milwaukee Art Institute.

The Little Red Hen

Florence White Williams

The story of the Little Red Hen has been retold many times. First published in 1874, this folk tale teaches children the value of hard work and self-reliance. In the story, a hen finds a seed of wheat, which she decides to plant in order to make bread. Though she seeks the help of other farm animals, they refuse, and the hen must do all the work herself. When the bread is finally made, the other animals wish to partake—but, because they did not help the hen along the way, they are refused the fruits of her labor.