Heckedy Peg

Heckedy Peg
Audrey Wood
Voyager Books
Copyright 1987
Pages 32
Ages 4-8
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction

Summary
Heckedy Peg is a story about a poor mother who has seven children. Their names are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. One day before the mother leaves for town she tells her children they may each have something. Each child tells her what they would like and on her way out the door she tells them not to let strangers in or play with the fire. Soon after Heckedy Peg (a witch) comes by and asks to come in and have her pipe lit. At first the children refuse, but then she offers them a bag of gold and the children let her in. The evil witch turns each child into a different type of food. She packs them into her cart and takes them far away to her home. Soon the mother returns home to find an empty house. She is understandably upset when a bird comes to tell her the news. Their mother comes after them just as Heckedy Peg is sitting down to enjoy her feast. The mother knocks to gain entrance but the witch gives her excuses that she is too dirty. The mother tricks the witch into letting her in. Once inside Heckedy Peg tells the mother that she has one chance to guess which child is which otherwise she’ll eat them. The mother successfully matches what they wanted from the market with what they were turned into and the children are restored. The mother then chased the witch away and off a bridge and she was never seen again.
I would recommend this book to children who have problems about obedience, and to teach caution around strangers.
People might have a problem with this story because it may scare children. Heckedy Pegs threats are violent. Also, some parents may have a problem with their being a single mother of 7 children.
I loved the artwork in this book. The illustrations look like they could be oil paints. I also thought the mother was very clever to trick the old witch into letting her in.