Little Red Riding Hood

by Mabel Watts

The children's classic about Little Red Riding Hood. A Little Golden Book.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Juvenile

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 1966

Reviews

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings accompany the classic fairy tale.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scots children's author Lari Don, who is probably best known for her First Aid for Fairies fantasy series for older children, turns here to the work of the Brothers Grimm, retelling that classic fairy-tale of a little girl on her way to her grandmother's cottage in the woods, and the big bad wolf she meets along the way. Although no source material is included, it is clear from the ending (in which Granny and Little Red Riding Hood are rescued by a passing woodsman) that this is the Grimm version, rather than the earlier variant written by Charles Perrault, which contained no such rescue. The illustrations in this retelling are done by French artist Célia Chauffrey, who also worked on the recently translated picture-book Peter and the Moon , while the accompanying CD contains a narration of the story done by actress Imelda Staunton.

I enjoyed this retelling of the classic fairy-tale of Little Red Riding Hood quite a bit, finding the text itself quiet engaging - I appreciated the fact that Lari Don used fairly contemporary language, while keeping to the traditional framework of the story - and the artwork appealing. Chauffrey's acrylic and pencil illustrations are quirky and cute, and while I thought her wolf could have been a little more fearsome, I liked the scale she used, in which the wolf towers over Little Red Riding Hood, when they are speaking in the woods. The narration by Imelda Staunton is immensely entertaining, and really added to my enjoyment of the story. I don't usually listen to audio books, or other narrated tales, so this was a particular treat. All in all, a lovely little book, one I would recommend to young fairy-tale lovers everywhere!

[Alex D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red Riding Hood, written by Lari Don, is a famous old favorite. Little Red Riding Hood was on her way to her granny’s house with a basket full of cakes and bottles of lemonade. On her way, she encountered the wolf who recommends she takes an offering other than sweet treats so it lasts longer. Wolf’s tactic makes her decide to pick flowers, which gives him enough time to swallow granny. Upon her arrival at grandma’s house, the wolf swallows Little Red Riding Hood too. Little Red Riding Hood and her granny were saved by a hunter in the woods who was tracking animals by their snoring sounds. After retrieving the protagonists, the hunter filled the wolf’s empty belly with stones to trick him into thinking he was still full after a meal. However, when the wolf left to go back into the woods, he would encounter trouble and never return.

This fairytale is recommended for students ages five to eight. I found it on the course instructor’s Goodreads account and read it as an audiobook on Epic! I enjoyed this format because it made the reading experience exciting and I enjoyed the narrator's change in the characters’ voices. When looking at the illustrations, the pages in the book have finely detailed paintings to express the story. This is a strength. The illustrator also uses a double-page spread and stretches a single picture across two pages. According to Children’s Books in Children’s Hands, this “can signal a pause- a moment to ponder the events” (p. 69). Another strength of the book is the characterization of the wolf. The wolf is considered a “rival” in this story and he is clearly identified as being mysterious and clever (p. 193). In my opinion, a weakness of the book is the ending because it could be considered ghastly for the young audience.

In the classroom, this book could be used for sequencing and retelling. Students could make puppets and create a scene to practice acting out the traditional literature to build early literacy skills. Another activity could be for students to discuss the theme, or life lesson, Little Red Riding Hood learned. There is an explicit theme at the end of the book that says, “And Little Red Riding Hood never turned round to talk to strangers again.” This explicit theme is helpful for younger readers.

[Tami Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grades K-2 (Read aloud – independent reading).

The title page declares that this version of Little Red Riding Hood was retold by Mabel Watts. Joe Ewers’ illustrations are colorful, detailed images, his representation of the characters are almost elf like, with big eyes, rosy, plump cheeks, and even clogs on their feet. The pictures are very cartoon like and would be appealing to very small children. The wolf, although still very appealing has subtle dangerous qualities, such as sharp teeth and big green and yellow eyes. Watts creates a slightly different chain of events from the original tale, such as Little Red Riding Hood does not get eaten by the wolf, rather she “runs for her life”. This traditional story is excellent to have in a classroom collection for silent reading, this version with a less violent attack of the wolf is more ideal to share in a young classroom than the original with a horrific slaughter.

Science/Language Arts
Lesson Plan Idea: Have students read this tale and maybe a few other versions. Have them write their own version of the popular story.

[Miao · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting and theme of this story is very similar to the original version of Little Red Riding Hood. The plot is interesting where the hunter puts heavy stones into the wolf’s empty belly and then the Grandma stitched the wolf up. The wolf felt very thirsty and eventually jumped into the river to quench his thirst. The illustrator used oil painting in the story which changes the way of how the students normally read the story.

[Andria Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a little girl that goes to visit her sick grandmother. She does not follow her mother's directions to stay on the path and when she leaves the path, she runs into a wolf that asks where she's going. She tells him and then the wolf beats her to the grandmother's house, eats the grandmother and tricks the girl. He then eats the girl but both are saved when the hunter comes and finds the wolf.

I have always been torn with this story. On one hand, I think it is a good story for kids and on the other hand, i wonder if there is a way the story could be told without them needing to be eaten.

(Traditional Lit)

[Justine Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the traditional story that I always remember growing up. Little Red Riding Hood sets off to bring her grandmother some goodies to make her feel better! She encounters the wolf on her way there. The wolf makes it to grannies house first and then tricks Red Riding Hood.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A colorful re-telling of the traditional tale (not as stark as Perrault or as grim as the Brother's Grimm) yet which has a satisfying amount of peril for Riding Hood, her grandmother and all. The preschooler particularly enjoyed this version.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little adaptation of the original, even if it wasn’t quite accurate.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very watered down version of the fairy tale, art is old-fashioned and inconsistent.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a child I would stare at the illustrations in this book just because they are so rich. The story is much tamer than the original tale.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revisionist twist on the classic cautionary tale of talking to strangers and adhering to safety precautions in the home.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Included a story CD with narration by Imelda Staunton, so I opted to listen whilst looking at the illustrations. I haven't listened to a story in probably 30 years and it was wonderful! Staunton's voice was a perfect match for this tale and she made the story jump off the page, especially when the wolf swallows LRRH!

The artwork, on the other hand, was too modern for my tastes, a bit sharp. The illustrations looked like late spring, early summer but they felt cold, almost sterile. Despite my reaction to the pictures as a whole, I will say that the wolf's mouth was quite terrifying - almost like a shark's - which enhanced the fear factor during the scene where the wolf gulps down LRRH.

In this version, it's a young huntsman who rescues them, and LRRH drops in seven stones prior to sewing up the wolf's belly. Upon waking, the wolf has an unquenchable thirst, and as he bends over to drink from the river, he falls in and drowns.

3.5 stars

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. I love the color palette and drawing style. The story is your typical Little Red Riding Hood story. I think the only difference I found from other Red Riding Hood stories I've read was in this book the little girl is bringing cakes and bottles of lemonade to grandma and grandma is called Granny in this story. In other books, Little Red Riding Hood brings some other treats for her grandma. Still enjoyed the story and the drawings are not gruesome so I think it would be acceptable for preschoolers.

2nd reread: I really like this book! This time I read it out loud to myself and I heard how well it flows! Plus, I used different accents and voices for all the characters which made it more fun. Lovely book. I can't wait to read this book with my voices to the preschoolers!

[Taylor Hainley]

In the book "Little Red Riding Hood" the first edition of this book is said to have a controversial issue embedded into it. Some have said that Little Red Riding Hood has a bottle of wine in her basket. People have stated that this means that they are promoting alcohol to minors. I know as a child my parents always read me this book and I loved it. I never really thought that there was a controversial issue with this book until we did literature circles in class. In my classroom I think that I would just use this book to put into my classroom library for my students to read while we are doing center times. I think this would be a good book for me to have in my classroom library for a first grade level class.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Lari Don and Miss 5 really engaged with this version of Little Red Riding Hood and its messages. I liked that it included traditional motifs such as sewing seven stones into the wolf's belly so that he drowns when he drinks too much from the stream.

Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Amy Aldridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

A twist on the original tale of little red riding hood. Although I liked the illustrations and the story itself, I just found myself a bit let down. I think a lot more could’ve been played with in a twist/parody of this traditional tale, a lot of it was the same as the original. Yes a nice story, but I felt a lot more could’ve done! I think there’s much nicer books out there play on traditional stories in a more effective and enjoyable way.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous production of a timeless tale. The words and illustrations are delightfully fresh and enticing. Author Lari Don goes down the traditional trail, where the hunter rescues Red and Granny from the belly of the wolf, and stones are sewn into his stomach as replacement! Celia Chauffrey's rich and detailed illustrations bring each page to life. A beautiful hard-cover book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art style as a kid and also liked that this particular version doesn't end with Little Red Riding Hood being eaten. It's good for the younger kids and especially those prone to being a little sensitive.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the first I learnt to read by myself when I was a child - for this reason, it always tops the 'my favourite 5 books ever'. I remember sitting in my bed following the words with my fingers and then realising I could read - an amazing feeling!

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic re-telling that we used today as a class read for y1 English. The illustrations are just this side of creepy and the dark parts thrilling rather than terrifying. We used this book to kick-start our topic on fairytales, with the children completing a book talk grid.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful illustrations match this traditionally told tale. The wolf dies with seven stones in his stomach, which doesn't necessarily happen in all versions.

[Sarah W · Rating 1 out of 5]

First time I encountered Little Red making the wolf dizzy.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this retelling of little red riding hood

[Miri Gifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one gets an extra star for being narrated by Imelda Staunton.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated version of traditional tale.

[Sei Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm big fan of Célia Chauffrey's works

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story are wonderful!

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the illustrations were super cute!

[Karen Dransfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a few different versions of Little Red Riding Hood so I could make up a mini play for my class to read. This gave me lots of ideas. Loved the art work.