Sid the mosquito isn’t the only one exploring the delights of house Number Fourteen and its overgrown garden. Derek the rat is sniffing out old socks for supper. Ethel the chicken is busy trying to persuade the world she is not an orange, while Arnold the mouse is spending more time in the trap than out of it. Frank the ant has a terrible headache and just wants to be left alone, and Joey the budgie is having a bath in the dog’s bowl. Colin’s acclaimed stories about the inhabitants of one particular garden are now collected in this newly illustrated special edition.
chicken
Four Hens and a Rooster
Four hens live on a chicken farm. A little rooster lives there, too. “What a nice little rooster you have here,” everyone says when they come to visit. Indeed, it seems so for a while. But then the rooster begins to take more food for himself, and the hens get less. When the hens try talking to him about fairness, they’re not prepared for his reaction. The rooster turns into an egotistical barnyard bully, and the hens are worse off than before. Finally, the oldest hen puts her foot down: “We can’t go on like this. We must do something.”
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen
While caring for their aunt’s chickens, three little Swedish sisters are upset when the big red hen disappears.
Little Chicken & Little Fox
Little chicken is all ready for be, when suddenly there’s a knock at the door. It’s little fox, freezing in the cold. The other chickens know they aren’t supposed to let anyone in. But little chicken feels bad, so she sneaks out to find him a warm place. The two become instant friends, building snowman together and searching for little fox’s parents.
What’s Cooking, Jamela?
Jamela is responsible for fattening up the chicken intended for Christmas dinner, but instead she gives it a name and makes it her friend.