Very Little Red Riding Hood

by Teresa Heapy, Sue Heap (Illustrator)

This is the story of the Very Little Red Riding Hood.      Very Little Red Riding Hood is little.      Very little.      She's off to her Grandmama's for a sleepover, and she won't let anything stand in her way.      Not even a Wolf.      Join Very Little Red Riding Hood on a very BIG adventure in the first book of this adorable new picture book series.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Humor, Fractured Fairy Tales, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2013

Reviews

[Théo d'Or]

Once upon a time, in a land filled with wi-fi and fastfood, there lived a little, little girl named, surprisingly - Little Red Riding Hood. She wasn't called that because of her fashion sense, but because her grandma had a thing for knitting red hoodies. One day, her mom said " Hey, Red, your grandma's feeling under the weather. Take this basket of organic, gluten-free goodies to her. And remember, don't talk to strangers, whether they're called Meursault or Good Fairy. "
Red popped in her earbuds, grabbed her smartphone and set off. She decided to take a shortcut through the forest, because Google Maps said it was faster.
Meanwhile, the Big Bad Wolf, who was actually just a misunderstood vegan with a bad reputation, saw Red and thought " Hmm...maybe she has some tofu in that basket ".
" - Hey there, little girl," said the wolf, trying to sound friendly. " Where are you headed ? "
" I'm not hearing a fuckin' word of what you say,
Wolf ", said Red. " I listen to Taylor Swift ".
The Wolf, slightly annoyed, decided to take the old-fashion route and ran ahead to Grandma's house. When he got there, he knocked on the door. " Who's there ? ", Grandma called out.
"It's me, Red ", the Wolf said, in his best imitation of a teenage girl.
The Wolf entered and, seeing Grandma engrossed in her knitting tutorial on YouTube, decided to hide in the closet instead of the bed. " This is too cliché ", he muttered...
Soon, Red arrived. She walked in and noticed the closet door slightly ajar. " Grandma, what big eyes you have ! ", she said, peeking inside.
" Can we skip this, please ? " , the Wolf replied, rolling his eyes.
" But Grandma, what big ears you have !" , continued Red.
" Now you really pissed me off, you, little curious ", said the Wolf. " Are you sure you're not a Wolf, Grandma ? ", said Red, suspiciously.
" Listen, little pain in the ass, I'm tired of
this whole circus ", said the Wolf, irritated. " Can't we change anything in this scénario ? "
" You're right, Wolfy ", say Red. " How about cutting off one of your ears ? They don't seem to be perfectly symmetrical. "
" Bye, Red. I have to get to a filming, à remake of The Three Little Pigs . It is less dangerous. "

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Think beloved fairytale told in babytalk. Skip this.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very cutesy as we're given a very young version of Red Riding Hood who acts and speaks very much like a four-year-old (or thereabouts). I enjoyed the repetition and flow of the words as I read it aloud and got a kick out of the sweet innocence of this twist of the traditional story.

[Ama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this another star had the main character not spoken like a toddler. Otherwise, it is a cute story.

[Omid Milanifard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its an altered version of red riding hood that changed to be friendly and not so scary. Its good for night story but I prefer the original one.

[Rosalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five giggle book for me! I can't wait to read it at story time. I think it will become a favorite of ages 4 and under!

[Peyton Johnson]

One observation: This is the basic Little Red Riding Hood fairytale retold in simpler terms.
One connection: We had this book in the kindergarten classroom I was able to intern in last year, I remember reading it aloud to a group of kiddos.
One question: Why did the author use baby talk from the POV of Little Red?
One surprise: The way baby talk was used throughout the book
My personal opinion: This book would work best with younger aged kids. It was an easy and fun read but not too much else to it.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the favorite of the books I read today to Alena that my sister recommended. I like this one best. It's a happier retelling of the classic story. The wolf makes me think of a scary grandpa. Makes me think of my cute, bearded husband who is a fantastic grandpa. Love you sweetie! This would be fun to read to my granddaughter.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heapy and Heap retell and renarrativize a beloved childhood fairy tale for very little readers. The text size and the fun, watercolor illustrations make this a perfect book to read out loud to very little lovers of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Though this might not be a good read for older children—as Red here is a toddler and therefore speaks like one—many can still sympathize with the plights of sleeping over at grandmother’s house for the first time and missing one’s mom. Great for grades K-2.

Review cross-listed here!

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute variation on the old classic, though Red's baby talk, and general bratiness kind of ruined things for me. LOVED the wolf, however.

[Zoe Hickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for younger children. Great as a bit of fun book.

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 starst

Reading age 2 - 6 years, not a bad book, and uses terminology younger kids use such as foxie and mummy.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fractured fairy tale. The main character is a very young toddler and this is seen in her behavior and speech. It's a very cute and amusing story.

I think this story may appeal more to elementary students who are studying fractured fairy tales because they can compare the original story to this one and discuss all the differences.

For very young children who are learning vocabulary it might not be the best book.

Adorable illustrations and facial expressions.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tamed by a toddler. As are we all.

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A G-rated retelling of the classic tale.

[Dominique Trimboli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based off the story “Little Red Riding Hood” that most people have heard of. In this story the wolf is very helpful and not scary. This is a good book to help children overcome their fears and no be scared. This book is using the same concept as “Little Red Riding Hood” but is not the same which is like copying. The book could of incorporated the big bad wolf and how he tried to trick the little girl to make the book more interesting. Overall this book was cute as the wolf didn’t harm the little girl, he took her to grandmas and calmed her down when she was upset. Children could feel different about wolfs after reading this book, and those who are afraid of them might no long be scared.

[Vicki Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This twist on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood connects us with the toddlers in our life. This very little Red Riding hood speaks right to the heart of those that have/ or have had toddlers around them. She uses toddler speech, stubbornness, and real life child behavior as she goes off to Grandma's house. I was introduced to this text through a read-aloud on Youtube. The author does a good job intertwining the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood while adapting it to fit the youthful perspective. We also had a different take on the wolf in the story, even though there is. suspenseful climax. I would recommend this text to primary students or parents dealing with toddlers at home!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have little patrons who love this series. It is pretty funny, and I feel like the authors really capture the voice of a toddler pretty well. The illustrations of the flustered wolf are pretty hilarious, and I love that her Granny is like a hip, modern granny rather than an old-fashioned Granny. I'm never quite comfortable with the whole "let's trust and befriend the predator!" ending since the wolf clearly had ill intentions earlier in the book, but this was still a fun take on a classic fairytale.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun take on the traditional tale which is very child friendly. It would be good to read with children in FS as I liked the alternative ending, however it does have very young language which is more like toddler talk. This adds to the character being Very Little Red Riding Hood but I think it could make it harder to understand as it doesn't always make perfect sense. Children would probably guess what was intended and they might find it funny but it is something to consider carefully before using it.

[Sydney Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of Little Red Riding Hood is a friendlier version of the original story. This book is intended for a younger audience because it's not scary like the original story. The part I loved about this book was the happy ending and I think it's really cute and kids would love reading it. I give this book 4 stars because it's really cute, but I have heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood many times.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story of very little Red Riding Hood who goes to visit her grandma and runs into a wolf. She's quite a spunky little girl and puts the wolf in his place right from the beginning. The dialogue is hilarious. She makes the wolf chase her. There are some weird twists in the story, but kids will love it. Highly recommended Gr. K-2.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Red is VERY little. She talks like a very little child. "I go see Grandma" and "I not scared" She invites the wolf (whom she calls Foxie) to go with her to Grandma's house. Even though Grandma is frightened, Very Little Red invites him in. They play until they are all tired. Then Very Little Red cries for her Mummy and Wolf points out her big wet eyes and her big snotty nose, and her big red mouth, and tickles her until she laughs. Eventually they all go to sleep.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars. If very little red riding hood is so little she can't talk properly (sounds like a two year old), she probably shouldn't be walking through the woods to her Grandmother's alone.

I do like how the wolf ended up being her friend.

[Samantha Mozes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional; 2014.

This was an adorable little story and was the cutest retelling I've ever heard! This would be great for young, young children - or for older children in the classroom to notice differences from the original story.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was too freaking cute!! I could envision how someone would hold a crying toddler when “Foxie” picked up a blubbering Very Little Red Riding Hood & I could mentally hear her saying her lines in that toddler voice.

[Amy Brydon Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this with a child in a school today and I think the ‘baby talk’ isn’t great for early readers at all. The illustrations were good and the book was humorous but it didn’t allow the child to progress in her phonics at all.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute version of the classic story. I purchased this for the Library after a Mom wanted to introduce her young daughter to the classic tale. Could be a fun writing prompt for fractured fairy tales too.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Little Red Riding Hood is taking food to her grandmother's for a sleepover. On her way she meets a friend... or, perhaps, an enemy. You have to read to the end to find out. This was a charming little tale that doesn't quite abandon the opportunity for a small, but fun, lesson at the end.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super adorable. Love Very Little Red.

[Radha TheLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parents will appreciate this exhausting version of a classic story.