The Little Red Fort
by Brenda Maier
pictures by Sonia Sánchez
Scholastic Inc.
Ruby’s mind was always full of ideas.
One day, she found some old boards. “Who wants to help me build something?” she asked her brothers.
Oscar Lee pretended not to hear her. Rodrigo gave her a look that could melt Popsicles. José almost fell off the fence. “You don’t know how to build anything,” they said.
Ruby shrugged. “Then I’ll learn.”
And she did.
“Who wants to help me draw the plans?” Ruby asked. The boys clutched their sides and howled with laughter. “Not me,” said Oscar Lee. “I don’t think so,” said Rodrigo. “No way,” said José. “I’m too busy.”
“Fine,” said Ruby. “I’ll draw them myself.”
And she did.
Satisfied with her plans, Ruby asked, “Who wants to help me gather the supplies?”
“Not me,” said Oscar Lee. “I don’t think so,” said Rodrigo. “No way,” said José. “I’m too busy.”
“Fine,” said Ruby. “I’ll gather them myself.”
And she did.
When all the supplies were gathered, Ruby asked, “Who wants to help me cut the boards?”
“Not me,” said Oscar Lee. “I don’t think so,” said Rodrigo. “No way,” said José. “I’m too busy.”
“Fine,” said Ruby. “I’ll cut them myself.”
And she did.
When all the boards were neatly cut, Ruby sang, “Who wants to help me hammer in the nails?” “Not me,” said Oscar Lee. “I don’t think so,” said Rodrigo. “No way,” said José. “I’m too busy.”
“Fine,” said Ruby. “I’ll hammer them myself.”
And she did.
Soon Ruby’s creation was complete. “Who wants to play in my fort?” she called.
“Me, me!” said Oscar Lee. “Let’s go!” said Rodrigo. “I’ll play!” said José. “I’m not busy anymore.”
“Not so fast,” Ruby said. “You didn’t help me draw the plans or gather the supplies or cut the boards or hammer the nails. You said I didn’t know how to build.
And you laughed at me.
I’m going to play in the fort by myself.”
And she did.
“We didn’t want to play anyway,” the boys said.
But they did.
So they huddled, whispered, and got straight to work. Oscar Lee made a mailbox. Rodrigo planted flowers. José painted the fort fire-engine red.
Ruby was delighted.
That evening, the boys followed a delicious aroma to a fort-warming party.
“Who wants to help me clean this plate?” Ruby asked.
“We do!” the boys said.
And
they
did.
BUILD A FORT OF YOUR OWN
KITCHEN-CHAIR FORT
SOFA FORT
BUNK-BED FORT
SNOW FORT
AUTHOR’S NOTE The Little Red Fort is based on the classic folktale, The Little Red Hen . A few years ago, The Little Red Hen was the only story my youngest son wanted to hear. About the same time, my other children found some spare boards and lattice, which they used to construct a little fort in the backyard. Both of those ideas swirled together in my mind and became this story. The Little Red Hen is a folktale, a story passed down orally. For this reason, it’s difficult to tell who first recorded it. Different versions of the story were published in Irish and American magazines and books of short stories as early as the 1860s. The first version of the story that would seem familiar to you was published in 1874 by a US magazine called St. Nicholas . I actually own a copy of the first picture book version of The Little Red Hen . It was published in 1918, so people have been reading it for a century. The Little Red Fort pays homage to the classic tale and commemorates its one hundredth anniversary in picture book form! I love reading different versions of the story and discovering which parts of the original the author changed. Like snowflakes, no two retellings are just alike! A few of my favorites are: The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone (Clarion Books, 1973), The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton (HarperCollins, 1993), The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges and Amy Walrod (Dutton Children’s Books, 1999), Mañana, Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul and Ethan Long (Holiday House, 2004), and Little Red Henry by Linda Urban and Madeline Valentine (Candlewick Press, 2015). What’s your favorite?
Brenda Maier
To my five fort builders: Nicholas, Madison, Katelyn, Christian, and Matthew. — B.M. To my son, Alex — S.S.
Special thanks to Kira Corngold, Tulsa City County Library researcher, and LeeAnna Weaver, librarian and bookseller, who ensured I had my facts straight. —Brenda Maier
Text copyright © 2018 by Brenda Maier • Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Sonia Sánchez • All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920 . scholastic and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. • This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. ISBN 978-1-338-26896-6 • 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 18 19 20 21 22 • Printed in the U.S.A. 08
This book was published simultaneously in hardcover by Scholastic Press. • This edition first printing 2018.
The art was created using recycled paper, charcoal pencil, pen, gouache, and a combination of traditional and digital brushes. • The text type and display type were set in Sodom Regular. • Production was overseen by Angie Chen. • Manufacturing was supervised by Shannon Rice. • The book was art directed and designed by Marijka Kostiw, and edited by Tracy Mack.
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