The Little Red Hen is an old folk tale, most likely of Russian origin. The best known version is that popularized by Little Golden Books a series of children's books published for the mass market since the 1940s
In the tale, the little red hen finds a grain of wheat, and asks for help from the other farmyard animals to plant it. No one is willing to help. When the wheat matures, she asks for help to harvest it, then thrash it, then mill it, and bake the flour into bread. At each stage she gets no volunteers. Finally she asks who will help her eat the bread. All the previous non-participants eagerly volunteer, but she declines their help and eats it with her chicks, leaving none for others.
The story is obviously intended to teach children the virtures of the work ethic and personal initiative. It is so well known that it is frequently rewritten by pundits and bloggerss to illustrate their favorite points. In 2004 it was widely circulated as a response to President George W. Bush's decision not to allow any companies from countries opposed to the Iraq War bid on contracts for reconstruction work.
