Henny-penny
by Joseph Jacobs
Henny-Penny and the Falling Acorn
One sunny day, Hen sat under a tree. PLOP! A thing fell on her head. "Oh no!" said Henny-Penny. "The sky is falling! I must tell the king!"
So Henny-Penny ran down the road.
She went along, and along, and along. She met Cocky-Locky. "Where are you going?" said Cocky-Locky. "The sky is falling!" said Henny-Penny. "I must tell the king!" "I will come too!" said Cocky-Locky. So they went along, and along.
They met Ducky-Daddles. "Where are you going?" said Ducky-Daddles. "The sky is falling!" said Henny-Penny. "We must tell the king!" "I will come too!" said Ducky-Daddles. So they all went along, and along.
They met Goosey-Poosey. "Where are you going?" said Goosey-Poosey. "The sky is falling!" said Henny-Penny. "We must tell the king!" "I will come too!" said Goosey-Poosey. So they all went along, and along.
They met Turkey-Lurkey. "Where are you going?" said Turkey-Lurkey. "The sky is falling!" said Henny-Penny. "We must tell the king!" "I will come too!" said Turkey-Lurkey. So they all went along, and along.
Then they met Foxy-Woxy. He had a big smile. "Where are you going?" said Foxy-Woxy. "The sky is falling!" said Henny-Penny. "We must tell the king!" "I know the way!" said Foxy-Woxy. "Come with me."
So Foxy-Woxy led them down a path. They came to a dark hole. "This is the way," said Foxy-Woxy. "Go in." It was very dark. Henny-Penny did not like it.
Her friends went in the dark hole. But they did not come back out. Then Cocky-Locky called out. "Run, Henny-Penny! Run!" Henny-Penny was scared. But she was brave too.
She ran and ran and ran. She ran all the way home. She was safe! Henny-Penny sat in her yard. She looked up at the sky. The sky was still there. It was not falling.
And the sky did not fall. It was just a little acorn!
Original Story
HENNY-PENNY One day Henny-penny was picking up corn in the cornyard when—whack!—something hit her upon the head. “Goodness gracious me!” said Henny-penny; “the sky's a-going to fall; I must go and tell the king.” So she went along and she went along and she went along till she met Cocky-locky. “Where are you going, Henny-penny?” says Cocky-locky. “Oh! I'm going to tell the king the sky's a-falling,” says Henny-penny. “May I come with you?” says Cocky-locky. “Certainly,” says Henny-penny. So Henny-penny and Cocky-locky went to tell-the king the sky was falling. They went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met Ducky-daddles. “Where are you going to, Henny-penny and Cocky-locky?” says Ducky-daddles. “Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling,” said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. “May I come with you?” says Ducky-daddles. “Certainly,” said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky and Ducky-daddles went to tell the king the sky was a-falling. So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met Goosey-poosey, “Where are you going to, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky and Ducky-daddles?” said Goosey-poosey. “Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling,” said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky and Ducky-daddles. “May I come with you,” said Goosey-poosey. “Certainly,” said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky and Ducky-daddles. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles and Goosey-poosey went to tell the king the sky was a-falling. So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met Turkey-lurkey. “Where are you going, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?” says Turkey-lurkey. “Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling,” said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles and Goosey-poosey. “May I come with you? Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles and Goosey-poosey?” said Turkey-lurkey. “Why, certainly, Turkey-lurkey,” said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey all went to tell the king the sky was a-falling. So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met Foxy-woxy, and Foxy-woxy said to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey: “Where are you going, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey?” And Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey said to Foxy-woxy: “We're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling.” “Oh! but this is not the way to the king, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey,” says Foxy-woxy; “I know the proper way; shall I show it you?” “Why certainly, Foxy-woxy,” said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, Turkey-lurkey, and Foxy-woxy all went to tell the king the sky was a-falling. So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they came to a narrow and dark hole. Now this was the door of Foxy-woxy's cave. But Foxy-woxy said to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey: “This is the short way to the king's palace you'll soon get there if you follow me. I will go first and you come after, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey.” “Why of course, certainly, without doubt, why not?” said Henny-Penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So Foxy-woxy went into his cave, and he didn't go very far but turned round to wait for Henny-Penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey. So at last at first Turkey-lurkey went through the dark hole into the cave. He hadn't got far when “Hrumph,” Foxy-woxy snapped off Turkey-lurkey's head and threw his body over his left shoulder. Then Goosey-poosey went in, and “Hrumph,” off went her head and Goosey-poosey was thrown beside Turkey-lurkey. Then Ducky-daddles waddled down, and “Hrumph,” snapped Foxy-woxy, and Ducky-daddles' head was off and Ducky-daddles was thrown alongside Turkey-lurkey and Goosey-poosey. Then Cocky-locky strutted down into the cave and he hadn't gone far when “Snap, Hrumph!” went Foxy-woxy and Cocky-locky was thrown alongside of Turkey-lurkey, Goosey-poosey and Ducky-daddles. But Foxy-woxy had made two bites at Cocky-locky, and when the first snap only hurt Cocky-locky, but didn't kill him, he called out to Henny-penny. So she turned tail and ran back home, so she never told the king the sky was a-falling.
Moral of the Story
Do not believe everything you hear, and be wary of those who offer help too readily, especially if they are known predators.
Characters
Henny-penny ★ protagonist
A domestic hen, likely with reddish-brown feathers, a comb, and wattles.
Attire: None, as a chicken.
Naive, easily frightened, determined (initially).
Cocky-locky ◆ supporting
A domestic rooster, likely with vibrant, iridescent feathers, a large comb, and spurs.
Attire: None, as a rooster.
Agreeable, easily led, somewhat brave (in trying to warn Henny-penny).
Ducky-daddles ◆ supporting
A domestic duck, likely with white or brown feathers and webbed feet.
Attire: None, as a duck.
Agreeable, easily led.
Goosey-poosey ◆ supporting
A domestic goose, likely with white feathers, a long neck, and an orange bill.
Attire: None, as a goose.
Agreeable, easily led.
Turkey-lurkey ◆ supporting
A domestic turkey, likely with dark, iridescent feathers, a red wattle, and snood.
Attire: None, as a turkey.
Agreeable, easily led.
Foxy-woxy ⚔ antagonist
A red fox, with a bushy tail and keen eyes.
Attire: None, as a fox.
Cunning, deceptive, predatory, gluttonous.
Locations
Cornyard
An open area where corn is found, likely a farmyard or field.
Mood: Ordinary, peaceful, then suddenly alarming
Henny-penny is hit on the head, initiating the main plot.
The Road/Path
An unspecified path or road that the animals travel along, meeting new companions at various points.
Mood: Journey-like, repetitive, growing anticipation
The animals gather their company and are eventually misled by Foxy-woxy.
Foxy-woxy's Cave Entrance
A narrow and dark hole, serving as the door to Foxy-woxy's cave.
Mood: Deceptive, ominous, foreboding
Foxy-woxy lures the animals into his trap.
Foxy-woxy's Cave Interior
A dark cave where Foxy-woxy waits to ambush the animals.
Mood: Deadly, treacherous, claustrophobic
Foxy-woxy kills most of the animals, and Cocky-locky's cry saves Henny-penny.
Story DNA
Moral
Do not believe everything you hear, and be wary of those who offer help too readily, especially if they are known predators.
Plot Summary
Henny-penny mistakenly believes the sky is falling after an acorn hits her head and sets off to tell the king. Along the way, she gathers a growing group of fellow fowl who believe her story. They encounter Foxy-woxy, a cunning fox, who tricks them into following him into his cave, claiming it's a shortcut to the king's palace. One by one, the fowl enter the cave and are eaten by Foxy-woxy, until Henny-penny realizes the danger and narrowly escapes, returning home without ever reaching the king.
Themes
Emotional Arc
naivete to terror
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This tale, also known as 'Chicken Little', is a classic example of a cumulative tale, often used to teach children about critical thinking and stranger danger. Joseph Jacobs collected and popularized many English fairy tales.
Plot Beats (15)
- Henny-penny is hit on the head by an acorn and believes the sky is falling.
- Henny-penny decides to go tell the king about the falling sky.
- Henny-penny meets Cocky-locky, who joins her quest.
- The pair meets Ducky-daddles, who also joins them.
- The trio meets Goosey-poosey, who joins their growing group.
- The quartet meets Turkey-lurkey, who completes the group of fowl.
- The group encounters Foxy-woxy, who asks where they are going.
- Foxy-woxy tricks the fowl into believing he knows a shortcut to the king's palace.
- Foxy-woxy leads the gullible fowl into his cave, claiming it's a shortcut.
- Turkey-lurkey enters the cave first and is immediately killed by Foxy-woxy.
- Goosey-poosey enters next and is also killed.
- Ducky-daddles follows and is killed by Foxy-woxy.
- Cocky-locky enters, is attacked, but his struggle alerts Henny-penny.
- Henny-penny, realizing the danger, turns and flees back home.
- Henny-penny never reaches the king, and the sky does not fall.
