What is your most memorable short story or fairy tale?

When I was little, I remember my mother telling me all kinds of stories, some from books and others from her imagination. But the one that I remember most is the story of the Little Red Hen. My mother had once read it to me and it soon became my favorite bed-time story. One Christmas, Santa brought me the Little Red Hen story with the picture-sound buttons. Each time a certain picture appeared on the page, I would push the corresponding button on the side. The dog would say 'woof', the cat would 'meow', but my favorite button was that of the Little Red Hen, who said 'I'll do it myself!'. 

I must have driven my parents half mad with walking around the house pressing that button over and over and over and over and...well, one day the book "disappeared", but the story still stays with me today. It was one of a little hen taking it upon herself to do what needed to be done regardless of who discouraged her.