Heckedy Peg

A. Heckedy Peg
B. Wood, Audrey
C. Wood, Don
D. Harcourt Children's Books 1992
E. Fantasy Fiction
F. K-3
ABA's Pick of the Lists
Booklist Editors’ Choice
Christopher Award
Irma Simonton and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature
NCTE Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Language Arts

G. Heckedy Peg is a story about a mother and her seven children. One day the mother decided that when she went to town she would get them all a surprise of their choice for being so helpful around the house. While the mother was in town and the children at home, they recieved a visitor. Heckedy Peg tricked the children into letting her in the house by showing them a bag of gold. Once inside the house Heckedy Peg turned the children into food and carried them back to her hut. When the mother returned she quickly learned from a bird that Heckedy Peg had taken her children. The mother went to the hut but in order to get her children back the mother had only one chance to guess which child was which food. The mother quickly realized which child was which by referring to the items that the children has asked for. The food on Heckedy Peg's table soon turned back into seven little children. They returned home and Heckedy Peg was never to been seen again.
H. I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was really clever to have the mother idenfity which food was which child by things that they had wanted. I also liked the relationship that was portrayed between the mother and children. She obviously knew them quite well and it showed in the story. Audrey portrayed Heckedy Peg as wicked but not scary and allowed her magic to actually be fuuny. I think this is important for a young age group because they can obviously pick out the villian but still have fun with the magic by it not being to mean or nasty. The only connection I could make to another story was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and how she was easily tricked by the wicked witch.
I. I think this book could definintly be used to talk about strangers with kids. In the story the mother told them not to open the door and let anyone in. However they were tricked and look what happened to them. I think that with students you could talk about ways that people might try to trick them into doing things they know they are not supposed to do. Things like getting in a car with strangers, opening the door to a stranger and things like that. Also you could discuss what to do if a situation like this were to occur. I think that it is important to tell kids and show them all the things they should do because they really don't know. So, teaching them to say no doesn't always do any could if they don't know what to do next.