Little redheaded Henry is the youngest in his family. His mother, father, sister, and brother do everything for him. “Frankly, little redheaded Henry was sick of it.” Henry’s assertion of his independence (“I can do it myself,” he says time and time again. “And he did.”) plays out in a series of comical, over-the-top scenes that underscore the degree to which his family coddled him, from cutting his food and choosing his clothes to managing his playdates. As Henry asserts himself, his family is adrift. “Without Henry to do things for, they had no purpose.” With so much time on their hands, however, they can suddenly pursue new interests. And when bedtime comes, Henry realizes he isn’t quite ready to give up everything his family once did for him: “Could somebody please tuck me in?” Wonderful word choice and narrative flow, along with illustrations that extend both the humor and the warmth, make this picture book a delight. (Ages 4–7)

Well, there’s overprotective—and then there’s Little Red Henry’s family! A hilarious tale about what happens when a coddled kid asserts his independence.

Little redheaded Henry’s family treats him like a baby. They dress him. They feed him. They brush his “widdle toofers.” But he’s not a baby anymore. He’s a little boy who wants to do things for himself. So with his family watching anxiously from the wings, Henry sets out on a glorious day of independence. But will things swing too far in the other direction? In this charming reworking of the classic tale of the Little Red Hen, author Linda Urban and illustrator Madeline Valentine gently and humorously depict a family trying to find a middle ground between hovering over their youngest member and giving him room to grow.