Little Red Gliding Hood

by Tara Lazar, Troy Cummings (Illustrator)

Little Red's an excellent ice skater, but she'll need a good partner for the skating pairs competition--and the only one available is a certain Wolf, who needs new skates as badly as Little Red does.

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

Paperback

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Street magic performer. Award-winning ice sculptor. Hog-calling champion. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes stories for children featuring quirky characters and hilarious happenings. Tara writes the 7 ATE 9 series of picture books from Little Brown, illustrated by Ross MacDonald. Her next book is BLOOP, about an alien who comes to conquer earth but thinks the dogs are in charge! Tara lives in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and an adopted stray cat named Phoebe who thinks she is in charge of the planet. Visit Tara online to read about all her books at taralazar.com.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Red Gliding Hood needed new ice skates, in order to continue visiting her Grandma on Sundays, but although the upcoming pairs skating competition offered just what she needed, she couldn't seem to find a partner. All of her friends, from the Dish and Spoon to Hansel and Gretel, already had partners. Visiting her grandmother for some counsel, Little Red encountered the Big Bad Wolf, and got the surprise of her life - her seeming lupine enemy was an ice skater too, and in need of some new skates himself...

A sweet fractured fairy-tale mash-up, Little Red Gliding Hood transplants the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood from the deep forest to a winding river, and adds characters from numerous other stories and nursery rhymes. The traditional villain of the piece winds up being less villainous than expected, and all ends happily (ever after). The artwork by Troy Cummings is bright and colorful, capturing the fun of Little Red's wintry world with its cartoon-style visuals. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers, especially if they enjoy revisionist retellings of the classics.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the fairy tale tie-ins - it made for a really fun and enjoyable read!

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: there is a picture with a witch.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute. I love the aerial view pages that display the entire town or ice rink. These are the type of books I loved to read as a child since there was so much to look at and so many little details to enjoy.

The story is sweet without being overdone or preachy. The language used has a great rythm and sound.

All around, this is a great book for young readers!

[Chana Stiefel · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the opening spread of Tara Lazar’s new book, LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD, you’ll be “swizzling and twizzling” into a fun adventure in the frozen enchanted forest of Fairytale Land. Lazar’s Little Red is reimagined as a spunky, bright-eyed figure skater, gliding down the frozen river to grandmother’s house. But her “worn-in and worn-out” skates are making these trips quite a challenge. Suddenly, she sees a solution: “Pairs Skating Competition! The prize: Brand New Skates!” “Oh, slippery slush, I’ve got to win!” Little Red exclaims.

Little Red sets out in search of a suitable partner, only to discover that most of her friends (Dish and Spoon, Hansel and Gretel) have already met their match. When Grandma suggests the Three Little Pigs next-door, Little Red collides with the Big Bad Wolf. (“Eek!”) Will the evil wolf turn Little Red into slippery slush?

On every page turn, young readers will delight in cameos of their favorite fairytale characters—all on skates—whimsically drawn by illustrator Troy Cummings. The story builds to the fantastical competition, where Little Red and her new partner will simply melt your heart. A gold medal winner for sure!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute take on Red Riding Hood for those who find themselves occasionally sympathetic to the wolf. The art is super cute.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD is everything a fractured fairy tale should be! I love this fun twist on the original story and Tara Lazar did an amazing job of developing her world. The woods are filled with favorite characters from nursery rhymes, children's songs and other classic stories and the supporting cast always acts in character. I think pairing Tara Lazar's clever story with Troy Cumming's artwork was genius. I love his frozen river which winds across the first spread and leads us through the story. Personally, I can't remember a title page ever having as much impact as LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD's, it's a show stopper!

I think this may be my favorite book by the author. I'm so glad I picked it up now, so I can read it to my kindergarteners this winter. I'm hoping Little Red skates her way into a sequel!!!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice Picture Picture Book

Little Red Gliding Hood needs a skating partner but who can she find?.She visits several famous fairy tale character will she choose? Cute story with nice illustrations.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my Folklore, Fairy Tales, and Fantasy class.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Red Gliding Hood is a fractured fairy tale written by Tara Lazar. It begins with the introduction before the title page, and we’re taken immediately into the story by Troy Cummings‘ clever illustrations.

A fractured fairy tale is a mix-up of nursery rhymes and fairy tales, bringing in characters from different ones to fit in the new story. Tara has the sense of humour to pull this off easily.

Little Red Gliding Hood loved to skate and she was very good at it. She would skate to her grandmother’s every Sunday for a visit. The problem was that her old skates were in bad shape and getting to be too snug a fit. She soon wouldn’t be able to skate to Grandma’s.

Conveniently, a pairs skating competition was announced with the prize being a pair of new skates! Little Red Gliding Hood had to win! Inconveniently, she didn’t have a skating partner. Little Red’s grandmother suggested asking the Gingerbread Man. Little Red said he’s too fast and she can’t catch him. Grandma suggested Baby Bear would be a good partner, but Little Red said Goldilocks thought so first. When Little Red went to ask the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf showed up. Little Red skated away, frightened, with Wolf skating after her.

The day of the competition Little Red showed up to skate. When the Big Bad Wolf showed up, too, he scared Little Miss Muffet away and Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. It was chaos. The illustrations by Troy Cummings are funny and enjoyable.

The end of the story of Little Red Gliding Hood is fun and very cleverly done, making it a book that’s delightful to read over and over.

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this from Goodreads giveaway.

This is a fun story that incorporates familiar fairy tale characters and actually converts the bad guy into a good guy. I couldn't help but smile as I read it. It is now under the Christmas tree for a little girl who cannot live without her books. I know she will just love this one.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is much to love in this fractured fairy tale. The first thing I love is that “the big bad wolf” is the “big bad wolf” no more. Little Red Gliding Hood is now an ice skater extraordinaire and the goal is to win an ice skating competition so she can have new skates. Her old ones just aren’t the best anymore. The problem is that it’s a pairs competition and she has no partner. “The dish danced with the spoon, and Hansel spun Gretel like sugar.” The beautifully added bonus is that Little Red Gliding Hood’s community is filled with other familiar characters, like Grandma suggesting that she pair up with The Gingerbread Man. There’s a laugh on every page, especially with Cummings detailed, cartoon-like illustrations.

[Kid Lit Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Red Gliding Hood is a fractured fairy tale lover’s dream story. I counted seventeen different fairy tales/nursery rhymes mentioned in Little Red’s newest story. Poor Little Red Gliding Hood, her skates are so worn she may not be able to skate to Grandma’s on Sunday. A skating competition is offering a pair of golden skates as first prize, but Little Red needs a partner. It seems every fairy tale partner, from Hansel and Gretel to Jack Sprat and his wife, are paired up. What is Little Red going to do? She needs a partner in order to win those golden skates. Enter . . .

To read more go to: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2015/10/09...

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a rather typical fractured fairy tale with this book. Instead, it was a clever story that had fairy tale characters embedded within the book but had a new tale for us to enjoy. I liked how the characters often stayed true to the characters we know and love but enjoyed the surprises, as well.
Great illustrations and a really fun introduction to the book.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red desperately wants to enter the big skating contest, but can't find a suitable partner...until the Big Bad Wolf reveals a hidden talent. This truly funny fractured fairy tale that will delight young readers (and--oh slippery slush!--OLD readers too; I can say that, because I'm old and I thought it was delightful).

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is fantastic! A fun take on Little Red Riding Hood AND a hat tip to many other Fairytales, which makes the story fun for our daughter and us as well! I love when kid's books have great humor for adults too. And I love how the wolf is interpreted here. I won't give it away, but you'll definitely want to read to find out!

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book! So many shout-outs to fairy tales and Mother Goose and childhood songs and all things fun plus cool little details throughout make this book a contender for enjoyable repeated readings. Genuinely funny and clever. Love it!

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of our favorite fractured fairy tales!
My kids and I find it super funny. I also like the illustrations.
If you have an elementary school student who is studying fractured fairy tales, this is a good one to read.

[Carrie Charley Brown]

Such a clever tale and very punny! :) I love the tie-ins to all of the fairy tale characters and their famous lines!

[Kathy Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children’s folklore that takes the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and adds a twist. This folklore takes place in winter in the enchanted forest. During this time, Little Red realizes she has a talent for ice skating but desperately needs a new pair as hers are very worn out. Without a new pair of skates, she is worried she will not be able to skate to grandmother’s house who she visits frequently. However, Little Red hears that there is a partners skating competition with a grand prize of a new pair of skates! It’s a no brainer for Little Red to enter so that she can win skates and continue to visit her grandmother. There is just one problem, she doesn’t have a partner.
During one of her treks to visit her grandmother, she is confronted by the Big Bad Wolf who turns out not to be so bad after all. Little Red learns that the Big Bad Wolf also enjoys skating, but he too has a pair of beat up skates and would benefit from a new pair. Seeing as though everyone else had partners already, the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red enter the skating competition as partners and compete to win new skates. This unlikely duo stuns the spectators and judges with their friendship and skating ability and end up winning the competition!
This book would be great for students in kindergarten through second grade. The art work and nod to familiar fairy tales will keep young readers engaged and excited to continue to read this book. Teachers could create a mini lesson where students are asked to compare and contrast the original story of Little Red Riding Hood to Little Red Gliding Hood. This could be done with a vin-diagram. The teacher asks students to work on their sequencing and comprehension skills by providing students with little strips of paper with different events that happened in the story wrote on them. The students are asked to place the strips of paper in the order in which they happened. Finally, asking students to fill out a worksheet in complete sentences of what happened in the book is a great way to expand and work on their comprehension skills. This is a great mentor text for young readers that teaches them not to judge a book by its cover and about the power of friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be keeping it for my future classroom.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Red Gliding Hood is a fractured fairy tale that is written by Tara Lazar and illustrated by Troy Cummings. This tale is very entertaining and will capture your attention from the very first page. Kirkus reviews states, “No skating on thin ice here--it’s a winner.” In this version, Little Red really needs a new pair of ice skates because hers are very old and worn out. She happens to learn that there is a pair ice skating competition taking place with a grand prize of brand new skates for the winner. While she is a confident ice skater, she does not have a partner to skate with and is really hoping to win so she can finally get a new pair of ice skates. On her search to find an ice skating partner, she visits her grandmother who tries to give her some advice. Little Red continues looking, but realizes that so many others already have a partner. Soon, she is confronted by the Big Bad Wolf, who turns out not to be so scary after all. He too, has very beat up ice skates and would really benefit from a new pair. The wolf ends up entering the contest as Little Red’s partner and they compete to try and win new ice skates. In this adorable story, the illustrations are very fun and engaging. Many illustrations are on double page spreads, which gives an effect as if you are gliding across the pages in the story. There are an assortment of different characters from familiar fairy tales that appear in this book, which students will surely enjoy. This book is a great choice for young children through grade 5, as it can be tied into a fairy tale unit where students compare and contrast different versions of the classic tale.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

K-Gr 4- With a swizzle and a twizzle, Little Red Gliding Hood skates on to the title page as she heads down the river of a wintery wonderland. Along the way, she notices a banner for a skating competition with golden skates offered as the prize. Her rundown pair is in need of replacing, but there's a problem, she needs a partner. In this funny fairytale and nursery rhyme mash-up, characters from their respective stories team up to compete, but what about Red? Turns out the Big Wolf is not so bad, and he needs some new skates too! Since several fairytales feature a wolf, the author makes them all-in-one, thus creating the opportunity for amusing references. Many other tales also make cameos, and as a side activity it is fun to try and name those the text does not mention. The competition, which strings together revised versions of well-known lines, is the centrepiece. Everything is united by a cartoon style with magical colours, think Candy Land in winter. Even with all the changes, the story still follows the general drift of the original; little girl goes to grandma's house, wolf appears, and a woodsman tries to save the day. Only one aspect differs significantly...the wolf is on the winning side. VERDICT A wonderful winter-themed fractured fairytale with so many clever details that you'll want to read it again.

*reviewed for School Library Journal

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Tara Lazar book! My class really enjoyed this and seemed to be quite caught up in the story. It has a good rhythm and many of the phrases we've heard before in other stories. The pictures are really detailed, which also brought about some interesting comments and showed that the kids were really taken in by this story. We had just had a decodable that had a fox in it and so a fox/wolf being tricky was a familiar meta-narrative. This wolf being a not-big and bad wolf brought the whole idea up again and made for an interesting discussion. All the references to different story book characters were a great review, especially for my students who are from other countries and aren't as familiar with all the traditional stories we sometimes assume kids know but actually don't.

[Joyce Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Red Gliding Hood loves to figure skate on the ice, but she's outgrowing her much-used, tattered skates. And she can't stand the thought of not being able to skate to her grandmother's house for her weekly Sunday visits. Then she learns of a pairs ice skating competition for which the prize is brand new skates for the winners. "I've got to win!" she determines, but she doesn't have a partner to skate with. Frustrated that none of her fairy-tale character-friends will do--from Little Boy Blue to one of the three little pigs--she finds the "just right" partner in, of all things, the Big Bad Wolf. Who knew either of them could ice skate? Fun way for kids to learn not to prejudge others. Adorable book!

[Ingrid Sawubona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Figure-skating enthusiast, Little Red must win the pairs competition in order to replace her old worn out skates. But to her horror, the only one left to partner with; is the Big Bad Wolf.

It is not until an unfortunate little skate accident, that Little Red realizes just how much she has misjudged the Wolf. And when she defends her choice by making him her skating partner: they swizzle and twizzle and charm their way into everyone’s hearts.

I love the new take on this old fairy tale. The story is peppered with humor; the dialogue is clever and witty, and I absolutely love the detailed illustrations!

No skating on thin ice here! A very stunning slippery slush kind-of-a-story!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We see characters from a lot of nursery rhymes and fairy tales here. Most of them just make quick cameos, but it's a fun world.

Little Red wants to win new skates in the pairs skating competition, but she needs a partner. She looks and looks and asks several people, but they all have partners or won't do it. But she ends up partnering with the Big (not so) Bad Wolf after he helps her and reveals that he also needs new skates.

You could definitely use this as a jumping-off point to have conversations around stereotypes, what we assume of other people, or the stories we push others into.

[Kalynne]

Date: 12.12.25
Attendees:60
Theme: Winter
Introduction and announcements: Clap and Say Hello

Book one: Some Snow Is… by Ellen Yeomans

Song/rhyme/game one: Hot Chocolate

Book two: Sleep Big Bear Sleep by Maureen Wright

Song/rhyme/game two: Winter Freeze Dance by the Kiboomers

Book three: Little Red Gliding Hood by Sara Lazar

Song/rhyme/game three: Once there was a snowman

Activity: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/wp-co...

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Red Riding Hood straps on her ice skates in this fractured fairy tale! A figure skating enthusiast, Little Red has worn her skates right out and must win a pairs competition to earn new ones. But who will be her partner? The Dish is already dancing with the Spoon, and Hansel is spinning Gretel like sugar. You won’t believe what big eyes, sharp teeth, and long snout her partner has…all the better to spin her with!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute illustrations and tons of fractured fairy tale/nursery rhyme references. The kids got some of them, the parents got more, and it made it a fun read for me, if nothing else! Lots of fun wordplay too - I love Little Red's all-purpose exclamation, "Oh, slippery slush!"

Used in a storytime for the Olympics (several winter sports-themed picture books) but would also be good for one on ice skating, winter sports in general, or Big Bad Wolves.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS ADORABLE! Little Red Gliding Hood ice skates through her village on skates that are falling apart. There is a skating competition with first prize of a new pair of skates but she needs a partner. But everyone already has partners: the dish is skating with the spoon, Hansel is twirling Gretel. So many fairy tales are referenced. This one will as fun for the parents and for the children!

[Chandler Jordahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story about Little Red Gliding Hood and the skating competition. She needs a partner to compete with, but who should she choose? The author, Tara Lazar, does a great job of integrating other fairy tales into this text. A lot of great word choice is used in this text, making it a wonderful mentor text for writing. In addition, I have used it with my students to compare and contrast this tale with the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood.