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Henny Penny: a book club kit
Where it comes from. People all over Europe told this for hundreds of years. Joseph Jacobs wrote it down in England in 1890.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). An acorn falls on Henny Penny's head, and she is sure the sky is falling. She sets off to tell the king, and four friends join her, until Foxy Loxy offers to show them the way and leads them toward his den. They run home, and Henny Penny finds the sky is still in place: it was only an acorn.
The lesson, in one line. Look before you shout and run.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 2 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- Who was Henny Penny?
The story's answer: Henny Penny is the hen in an old European folk tale, not a real person or a real hen. In the story she is hit on the head by an acorn and decides the sky is falling. In the United States the same hen is usually called Chicken Little. Joseph Jacobs put the Henny-Penny version in his book English Fairy Tales in 1890. - Is Henny Penny the same story as Chicken Little?
The story's answer: Yes. They are the same folk tale with different names: Chicken Little is the name used in the United States, and Henny Penny is the name Joseph Jacobs used in English Fairy Tales. Details change from version to version. In this one an acorn hits Henny Penny, while other tellings use a nut, a leaf or a pea. - What does “Chicken Little” mean?
The story's answer: People call someone a Chicken Little when that person keeps warning that something terrible is about to happen, usually with little reason. “The sky is falling!” is used the same way. Both expressions come from this folk tale. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change. - Is there a rule of three in this story (three tries, three wishes, three visitors)? Why do you think fairy tales like threes?
Listen for: Many do; a third time is where the change happens.
Did you know?
- The same tale is called Chicken Little in the United States. James Halliwell printed it as “Chicken-licken” in 1849.
- Joseph Jacobs printed “Henny-Penny” in English Fairy Tales in 1890. He wrote: “I give this as it was told me in Australia in 1860.”
- An older Danish version, printed in 1823, has a chick called Kylling Kluk and a falling nut instead of an acorn.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- A Buddhist tale about 25 centuries old, the Daddabha Jataka, has a hare who is frightened by a falling fruit and starts a stampede.
- The animals in this telling are Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey and Foxy Loxy.
Words to teach before you start
- acorn: oak tree nut
- sly: tricky
- den: fox's home
- grin: big smile
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Henny Penny book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 2 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Henny Penny for?
It is written at Peabody level 5, a grade 1 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (level 5)
- The Enormous Turnip (level 5)
- The Gingerbread Man (level 5)
- The Three Little Pigs (level 5)
- The Little Red Hen (level 4)
- Little Red Riding Hood (level 7)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.