Heckedy Peg

"Here are your children", she said. "If you can't guess them right the first time, I'll eat them for my supper."

Heckedy Peg

By:Audrey Wood Illustated by: Don Wood

Voyager Books Harcourt Brace & Company

Text copyright 1987 by Addrey Wood

Illustration copyright 1987 by Don Wood

Picture Book

29 pages

Elementary school age

Heckedy Peg has lost her leg, but it really has nothing to do with the story.  A mother has 7 kids, all named the days of the week.  They help their mother with the chores and one day after tehy were done their mother asked them what they would want for the market.  Each child told her one thing they wanted.  The mother left with the last warning to her kids to not let anyone in and to not touch the fire.  Their mother left and the kids started to play.  Soon an old lady came to the window and told the kids "I'm Heckedy Peg. I've lost my leg. Let me in."  The kids told her NO, their mother had told them they were not allowed to let strangers in.  So she tried again, asking to let her in so she couldlight her pipe.  The kids again told her no.  Heckedy Peg then told the kids that if they let her in she would give them gold.  So for a sack of gold the kids let her in to light her pipe.  As soon as the pipe was lit, Heckedy Peg turned the kids into food as she threw her pipe to the ground.  When the mother got home, she got home to an empty house.  All that was there was the broken pipe and burnt straw on the floor.  As the mother sat there with the things she brought home for the kids a bird comes to the window and tells the mother that it was Heckedy Peg who took her kids and led the mother to where she lived.  The mother arived right before Heckedy Peg was about to eat.  She kept trying to get into the house but Heckedy Peg would come up with a reason why she could not.  Her shoes were dirty, her socks were dirty, her feet were dirty.  After taking off her shoes and socks the mother told the witch that she cut her feet off and knelt down and covered her feet with her dress.  Heckedy Peg didn't see feet, so it looked like she did cut them off, so she let the mother in.  The witch told the mother that if she could guess which food was which kid on the first try she would let her have the kids, if not then she would eat them for dinner.  The mother used what the kids wanted to find out what food was what kid.  Using those things the mother KNEW what food was what kid and she had her kids back.  The mother jumped to her feet and told the witch she would be sorry and chased her into town, but before they could catch her, Heckedy Peg jumped off the bridge, and was never seen again. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story.  A mother to read this to her kids, and elementary aged kids. 

I don't really think there are any problems or issues withe this book.  It is a cute funny little story, and has an end that you would not expect.

I enjoyed the story.  My roommates made fun of the story, but that is why it is not a book for college students.  It was a cute little story about how a mother loves and knows her kids.  I really did like it.