Pat Hutchins. Rosie's Walk. New York: Macmillan, 1971.
"Rosie the hen went for a walk," begins this book, and so she does. But unbeknownst to her, the fox is following, hoping to catch her for himself. As she strolls through the cozy farmyard all unaware, the fox encounters an entirely different environment in his furtive pursuit of her--as Rosie walks around the pond, he, leaping towards her, jumps in; as Rosie steps over the rake handle, he jumps on to it, bringing it crashing into his face. Her obliviousness continues until her safe return to the hen house--and the fox's frantic flight from it. Hutchins' folk art inspired illustrations remove the story from the realm of the real, and allow it to assume an equally folkloric humor. Many little children delight in seeing what Rosie does not, and in seeing the fox frustrated at every turn.
Many do--but not all. If Rosie's Walk is too broad and menacing a tale for you, try Mem Fox's Hattie and the Fox. Hattie the hen's sharp eyes catch something in the bushes that she warns the others about, none of whom are impressed: " 'Good grief!' said the goose. 'Well, well!' said the pig. 'Who cares?' said the sheep. 'So what?' said the cow. 'What next?' said the horse." But Hattie's eyes do not deceive her, and when the fox leaps from the bushes, she alone is unruffled. Children know all too well the experience of calling attention to that which others ignore, and so it is an immensely satisfying story, with its steady repeated refrains.
Together, these two books speak to the child's experience of seeing and being seen, of knowing and not knowing, of the safety of ignorance and of the safety of knowledge.
Too little for either of these? Then don't forget nursery rhymes:
Hickety pickety, my black hen/She lays eggs for gentlemen/Gentlemen come every day/To see what my black hen doth lay.
Chook, chook, chook, chook/Good morning, Mrs. Hen/How many chickens have you got?/Madam, I have ten/Four of them are yellow/And four of them are brown/And two of them are speckled red/The nicest in the town.