The cover of Hardy Truehopper and the Long, Long Carrot. A little rabbit in a red and yellow striped scarf waves beside a big orange carrot in an autumn meadow.

Book 1

Hardy Truehopper and the Long, Long Carrot

A story about peer pressure and the courage to trust your own eyes.

When everyone is sure, will your child dare to think for themselves?

Every autumn, the meadow animals choose the longest carrot of all. This year they all agree on the wrong one. Only little Hardy Truehopper can see the truth, and now he must choose. Will he say what he sees, or go along with the crowd?

A warm, gently told story that helps children stand up to peer pressure and trust their own eyes, even when everyone else is sure. Inspired by Solomon Asch’s famous conformity experiment.

For ages 5 and up. Plus a note for grown-ups inside.

The trap
Going along with the crowd
The habit
Stop, take a deep breath, and look again with your own two eyes.
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A few pages from the meadow

  • Hardy holds a carrot in the golden autumn meadow while his friends gather around.
  • Squirrel, Duck, Hedgehog, Mouse and Hardy look at three carrots laid out in a row.
  • Squirrel points at the middle carrot and speaks up while Hardy looks worried.

Real science inside

The experiment behind the story

Book 1, The Long, Long Carrot

1950s, Solomon Asch

In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch gave people an easy task. They had to match a line to one of three others. The catch was this. Everyone else in the room was secretly told to give the same wrong answer, confidently, before the real participant had a turn.

About three out of four people went along with the group at least once, against the plain evidence of their own eyes.

The habit to take away Stop, take a deep breath, and look again with your own two eyes.

Free for grown-ups

The discussion guide

Free, for grown-ups

The Long, Long Carrot discussion guide

The free companion to the book, for parents, teachers, and school counselors. Print it, fold it into the book, and use it in five minute pieces. No lecture required.

With questions, activities and four coloring pages.

Download the guide PDF, 3.2 MB

Coloring pages from the Long, Long Carrot

Tap a page to save it, then print it on A4 or letter paper.

The series

More from the meadow

Book 2

Hardy Truehopper and the Round, Round Egg

A story about hindsight and the courage to say “I did not know.”

The trap
Feeling sure we knew it all along
The habit
Mark your guess before. Look after.
Paperback on Amazon Kindle on Amazon
Buying outside the United States?

Look inside the book