Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Five little penguins flee from a seal, flying through the water, and find themselves in an innocent game of tag.

In this version of "The Little Red Hen," set at the North Pole, a penguin and a hare refuse to help an elf plant, grow, and decorate an evergreen tree but nevertheless expect to open the presents found under its branches on Christmas Day.

Rhyming text and illustrations use candy to teach mathematical skills and concepts such as estimation, graph interpretation, division, multiplication, factoring, and problem solving.