She Did It Herself! Holy Squawkamole! by Susan Wood

Little Red Hen was hungry for guacamole.

She's got beans and cumin, masa and queso. But she doesn't want burritos. She wants guac and dipper chips!!

But she didn't have any avocados!

Down in the grove the avocados are hanging high on the tree.

"Coati, will you help me gather avocados for my guacamole?"

Coati passes, but he offers to help eat it when she's done.

So Little Red Hen picks her own avocados. Then she turns to tomatoes. And there's Snake, curled up right beside the tomato plants. Will he help harvest them for her?

Negative. Snake reports that he's all tied up. But he'll be over for the leftovers later, he adds.

Guacamole is not fit to eat without the zest of onions, so Little Red Hen heads over to the onion patch. And there's Armadillo, with paws just made for digging, but he's busy basking and not available for the asking, although he says he'll be up for noshing in the afternoon shade.

Little Red Hen heads for the herb garden. Will Iguana help select some cilantro?

Iguana says no, but says he'll give the guac a go later. So Little Red Hen heads home to her cozy cocina, where she wonders aloud who is willing to mash and mix with her. As one, all the animals reply, predictably...

"Not I!"

So Little Red Hen does it all herself. And then she adds her secret ingredient!

"HOLY GUACAMOLE! That's a lot! Who will help me eat it?" said Little Red Hen.

The feeding frenzy among the lazy snackers quickly turns into a hot time in the old town tonight, as Coati, Snake, Armadillo, and Iguana get a surprise from Little Red Hen's secret ingredient--hot peppers!

"It's a smokin' hot guacamole!" in Susan Wood's South of the Border-flavored Holy Squawkamole!: Little Red Hen Makes Guacamole (Sterling Children's Books, 2019) in a zesty re-write of the old folk tale The Little Red Hen. in which Laura Gonzalez's spicy illustrations in warm tropic colors are part of the recipe for a tasty picture book. Author Wood sprinkles some piquant Spanish words into the mix along the way, as well as Little Red Hen's recipe for guacamole and a glossary for young foodies who may hanker for some chips and dip, too.