Little Red Hen had a busy summer planting seeds, watering the soil, digging up the weeds, and harvesting the grain. Whenever she asked the dog, cat, and duck to help, they always had excuses. A crisis occurred—a wicked fox captured the goose. When Little Red Hen went to her three friends, they again made excuses, so she went to the next farm, and Brown Dog helped her rescue the goose.

Tombo the tadpole declares himself King of the Pond. He brags that he’s the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest tadpole, and he teases and chases all the other tadpoles. But one day while showing off doing a triple flip, Tombo’s life takes a major turn. He’s captured by a boy and taken from his lush pond to a fish tank. There Tombo is fed dry fish flakes, a food he despises.

The proud emperor loves to parade before his people with beautiful clothes. When a court official suggests paying the soldiers more money so they don’t have to beg for food, the furious emperor is ready to throw him in jail.