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讲错了的童话
Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Little Yellow Riding Hood-- Not yellow! It's Red Riding Hood! So begins the story of a grandpa playfully recounting the well-known fairytale--or his version, at least--to his granddaughter. Try as she might to get him back on track, Grandpa keeps on adding things to the mix, both outlandish and mundane! The end result is an unpredictable tale that comes alive as it's being told, born out of imaginative play and familial affection. This spirited picture book will surprise and delight from start to finish, while reminding readers that storytelling is not only a creative act of improvisation and interaction, but also a powerful pathway for connection and love. Telling Stories Wrong was written by Gianni Rodari, widely regarded as the father of modern Italian children's literature. It exemplifies his great respect for the intelligence of children and the kind of work he did as an educator, developing numerous games and exercises for children to engage and think beyond the status quo, imagining what happens after the end of a familiar story, or what possibilities open up when a new ingredient is introduced. This book is illustrated with great affection by the illustrious artist Beatrice Alemagna (Child of Glass), who counts Gianni Rodari as one of her spiritual fathers.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2022
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About the author
Gianni Rodari
546 books367 followersItalian journalist and writer, particularly famous for his children books, which have been translated in many different languages but are not well known in the English speaking world. In 1970 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for children's literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_R...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_R...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
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October 23, 2025"Ja reiz klausītājs iebilst, stāstu iespējams turpināt arī kopīgi, labojot un papildinot vienam otru.
Šoruden, 23. oktobrī, Džanni Rodāri paliktu 105 gadi, savukārt 2026. gadā Sīpoliņš – viens no rakstnieka zināmākajiem tēliem – svinēs 75 gadu jubileju."
Vairāk par Džanni Rodāri grāmatu "Telling Stories Wrong" (Enchanted Lion Books, 2022) lasiet Ričarda Edija Štibes apskatā, kas publicēts LNB portāla "Literatūras ceļvedis" soktobra/novembra numurā.
https://www.literaturascelvedis.lv/po...
Ričards Edijs Štibe ir grāmatu apskatnieks.
Šoruden, 23. oktobrī, Džanni Rodāri paliktu 105 gadi, savukārt 2026. gadā Sīpoliņš – viens no rakstnieka zināmākajiem tēliem – svinēs 75 gadu jubileju."
Vairāk par Džanni Rodāri grāmatu "Telling Stories Wrong" (Enchanted Lion Books, 2022) lasiet Ričarda Edija Štibes apskatā, kas publicēts LNB portāla "Literatūras ceļvedis" soktobra/novembra numurā.
https://www.literaturascelvedis.lv/po...
Ričards Edijs Štibe ir grāmatu apskatnieks.
January 9, 2023
A humorous tale of a grandpa who's telling his granddaughter the story of Little Red Riding Hood-- except he's doing it all wrong! I appreciated this book's short length, which would make it workable for a storytime audience.
Themes: Fairy tales, Grandparents
Age range: Toddler- First grade
Themes: Fairy tales, Grandparents
Age range: Toddler- First grade
November 29, 2023
Thanksgiving weekend family picture book read-aloud fun! (Book 6 of 13.)
I'm not a real fan of the art, but I was amused by the grandfather's garbling of Little Red Riding Hood and his obvious desire to be doing anything other than telling this story.
I'm not a real fan of the art, but I was amused by the grandfather's garbling of Little Red Riding Hood and his obvious desire to be doing anything other than telling this story.
March 4, 2022
There is a strange comfort in knowing that grandfathers, worldwide, are complete and utter goofballs. I know that people are different everywhere. I know too that we share many similar characteristics. Still, there are few things quite as darned pleasing as a grandfather that knows precisely how to purposefully frustrate his granddaughter to distraction. I also am pleased when a picture book surprises me outright. When first I laid eyes on Telling Stories Wrong by Gianni Rodari, my expectations were not particularly high. Possibly because, as an American, I was fairly unfamiliar with Rodari’s reputation as a children’s book author in Italy. There’s much to be said for lowered expectations, you know. Humans like to be surprised by the unexpected, and surprised I was when I read this little treat. With its exaggerated characters and thick line control, it may need a bit of a leg up to get parents to pick it up. Kids, of course, won’t have any problem at all. They are, in many ways, more discerning than their adult caregivers.
A grandfather tells his granddaughter a classic fairytale. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow Riding Hood.” And right away his granddaughter is quick to correct him. “No, red!” Undeterred, he continues to tell the story. However, as he goes, he just can’t seem to get a single solitary thing right! His granddaughter has to tell him that Little Red wasn’t taking her grandmother a potato peel and that it wasn’t a giraffe she met in the woods. Things start to get kookier and crazier the farther into the story they get until, at long last, the granddaughter has to break the news gently to her grandpa that, “you really don’t know how to tell a story.” He takes the news amazingly well.
Children have very little agency. I mean, what is it that they can even control? When they use the potty. When they eat. When they sleep. Even so, it isn’t until they acquire language that they’re able to start naming the world. And when you name things, you categorize them and put them in order. Storytelling is just a natural part of growing a young person’s brain, and so we make a point of teaching them the stories that their culture is most familiar with. In this particular case, fairytales are the cultural touchstone. So when a child detects that an adult is getting these sacred texts incorrect in their own tellings, finally the kid gets the chance to do something they spend most of their waking life hoping for: getting to tell a grown-up they’re wrong about something. Not just wrong, but egregiously erroneous! Oh, the delight. The joy of it. Now the child is in a position of power. They are dictating precisely what is and is not the truth, and they are RELISHING it. It’s funny how rarely I’ve seen this same relishment (new word) replicated in picture books. The notion of a grandparent having a bit of fun with their grandchild by driving them up the wall with inaccuracies? I mean, that’s just a fantastic premise, right there!
Naturally, I can’t read a picture book like this and not try to figure out the best way that you could read it aloud. For me, I think the key lies in the grandfather’s tone of voice. If you read him as very deliberate and pseudo-serious, I think you could get a huge amount of mileage out of that. Because the wonderful thing about it is that not only is the child reader going to put themselves in the granddaughter’s shoes, they’re gonna be yelling right alongside her!
This story originally appeared in author Gianni Rodari’s larger collection called Telephone Tales. Here in the States he’s not exactly a household name but in Italy he was called “the father of modern Italian children’s literature”. When pulling a tale out and making it its own book, it’s interesting to think that it’s thanks in large part to the art that the ending feels as touching as it does. In the story, the grandfather says that the wolf gives Little Red Riding Hood instructions on where to find a coin to buy herself some bubblegum. The granddaughter, who has by this point pretty much given up on getting a straight story from her grandpa, asks for a quarter for herself. It is freely given and the grandfather goes “back to reading his newspaper.” An unkind reading of the written story could make the assumption that the grandfather doesn’t want to tell stories at all and is just finding some excuse to get the kid to leave him alone for a little while. But because artist Beatrice Alemagna got involved, there’s a sweetness in the art that softens this not wholly untrue interpretation. The penultimate view of the grandfather, after all, is of him giving his granddaughter some money for bubble gum, while also giving her a hug.
Alemagna, for the record, is a rather fascinating artist. It’s little wonder that the American publisher Enchanted Lion Books keeps publishing her. There’s little here that looks like her previous titles like Child of Glass, for example. Even On a Magical Do-Nothing Day had a different vibe and feel. Here, her paints fall more broadly than in the past. There is far less detailed linework. The whole enterprise feels as though Alemagna was challenging herself to stick with her instincts. There are still moments of clever creativity, of course. At one point the granddaughter imagines four different Riding Hoods, all of different colors, painted entirely in thick dots. It’s only when you do a couple reads of the book that you realize how Alemagna is using those dots. Technically, you can find some on every two-page spread. The fact that they eventually overwhelm the child’s imagination is interesting in and of itself, though I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean.
Of course, if you want to get particularly meta, I wonder if someday a child will love this book so much that a grandparent will accidentally-on-purpose read IT wrong to their own grandkids. It’s a nutty notion, but it’s also a nutty book. That’s nothing new. We see nutty books all the time. The difference here is that this particular nutty book has a lot of heart and affection between the characters that comes through in spite of (or because of?) the kooky storytelling. It's an ideal book for a grandparent to read to their own offspring’s offspring. Especially if that kid can’t stand it when grown-ups get facts wrong. Here’s one fact that isn’t wrong: This book is delightful. A win of an import.
A grandfather tells his granddaughter a classic fairytale. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow Riding Hood.” And right away his granddaughter is quick to correct him. “No, red!” Undeterred, he continues to tell the story. However, as he goes, he just can’t seem to get a single solitary thing right! His granddaughter has to tell him that Little Red wasn’t taking her grandmother a potato peel and that it wasn’t a giraffe she met in the woods. Things start to get kookier and crazier the farther into the story they get until, at long last, the granddaughter has to break the news gently to her grandpa that, “you really don’t know how to tell a story.” He takes the news amazingly well.
Children have very little agency. I mean, what is it that they can even control? When they use the potty. When they eat. When they sleep. Even so, it isn’t until they acquire language that they’re able to start naming the world. And when you name things, you categorize them and put them in order. Storytelling is just a natural part of growing a young person’s brain, and so we make a point of teaching them the stories that their culture is most familiar with. In this particular case, fairytales are the cultural touchstone. So when a child detects that an adult is getting these sacred texts incorrect in their own tellings, finally the kid gets the chance to do something they spend most of their waking life hoping for: getting to tell a grown-up they’re wrong about something. Not just wrong, but egregiously erroneous! Oh, the delight. The joy of it. Now the child is in a position of power. They are dictating precisely what is and is not the truth, and they are RELISHING it. It’s funny how rarely I’ve seen this same relishment (new word) replicated in picture books. The notion of a grandparent having a bit of fun with their grandchild by driving them up the wall with inaccuracies? I mean, that’s just a fantastic premise, right there!
Naturally, I can’t read a picture book like this and not try to figure out the best way that you could read it aloud. For me, I think the key lies in the grandfather’s tone of voice. If you read him as very deliberate and pseudo-serious, I think you could get a huge amount of mileage out of that. Because the wonderful thing about it is that not only is the child reader going to put themselves in the granddaughter’s shoes, they’re gonna be yelling right alongside her!
This story originally appeared in author Gianni Rodari’s larger collection called Telephone Tales. Here in the States he’s not exactly a household name but in Italy he was called “the father of modern Italian children’s literature”. When pulling a tale out and making it its own book, it’s interesting to think that it’s thanks in large part to the art that the ending feels as touching as it does. In the story, the grandfather says that the wolf gives Little Red Riding Hood instructions on where to find a coin to buy herself some bubblegum. The granddaughter, who has by this point pretty much given up on getting a straight story from her grandpa, asks for a quarter for herself. It is freely given and the grandfather goes “back to reading his newspaper.” An unkind reading of the written story could make the assumption that the grandfather doesn’t want to tell stories at all and is just finding some excuse to get the kid to leave him alone for a little while. But because artist Beatrice Alemagna got involved, there’s a sweetness in the art that softens this not wholly untrue interpretation. The penultimate view of the grandfather, after all, is of him giving his granddaughter some money for bubble gum, while also giving her a hug.
Alemagna, for the record, is a rather fascinating artist. It’s little wonder that the American publisher Enchanted Lion Books keeps publishing her. There’s little here that looks like her previous titles like Child of Glass, for example. Even On a Magical Do-Nothing Day had a different vibe and feel. Here, her paints fall more broadly than in the past. There is far less detailed linework. The whole enterprise feels as though Alemagna was challenging herself to stick with her instincts. There are still moments of clever creativity, of course. At one point the granddaughter imagines four different Riding Hoods, all of different colors, painted entirely in thick dots. It’s only when you do a couple reads of the book that you realize how Alemagna is using those dots. Technically, you can find some on every two-page spread. The fact that they eventually overwhelm the child’s imagination is interesting in and of itself, though I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean.
Of course, if you want to get particularly meta, I wonder if someday a child will love this book so much that a grandparent will accidentally-on-purpose read IT wrong to their own grandkids. It’s a nutty notion, but it’s also a nutty book. That’s nothing new. We see nutty books all the time. The difference here is that this particular nutty book has a lot of heart and affection between the characters that comes through in spite of (or because of?) the kooky storytelling. It's an ideal book for a grandparent to read to their own offspring’s offspring. Especially if that kid can’t stand it when grown-ups get facts wrong. Here’s one fact that isn’t wrong: This book is delightful. A win of an import.
January 7, 2022
In the great tradition of goofy grandpas everywhere, this grandpa sets out to tell the tale of Little Yellow Riding Hood. What? That's not right? Well, whatever color she was, she's never had an adventure like this before and certainly not with illustrations like this. Mind-bending and familiar in the best ways, this book is a treasure to be read aloud!
December 15, 2022
Telling stories wrong is Grandpa's favorite thing to do, much to his granddaughter's dismay. Never has Little Red Green Riding Hood been told this way! Complete with unconventional marker art, this Italian import was just named an NYT best illustrated picture book. My favorite quirky title of the year.
December 1, 2022
The book's art wasn't to my tastes, but whatever.
The story was interesting. I used to have adults tell me stories wrong because they thought it was funny when kids got mad about it (and maybe wouldn't ask for another). Upon reading this, I was actually surprised that I was still on the kid's side of things. It could have been about memory issues, but the way it was written doesn't make me think it is. I don't know. It was okay. Strictly from a writing standpoint, I think it was well written, and this is something that I think is a fairly common occurrence. It certainly elicited a strong emotion in me, which is the sign of good writing, but the emotion was disgruntlement.
I feel like a child reading this book will be like, "Ugh! Exactly! Why do adults do this!?"
I feel like reading this to a child will quickly delve into the awkward conversation about how some adults like to laugh at kids getting angry and don't want to actually read to them.
But. Maybe I'm taking it too personally.
The story was interesting. I used to have adults tell me stories wrong because they thought it was funny when kids got mad about it (and maybe wouldn't ask for another). Upon reading this, I was actually surprised that I was still on the kid's side of things. It could have been about memory issues, but the way it was written doesn't make me think it is. I don't know. It was okay. Strictly from a writing standpoint, I think it was well written, and this is something that I think is a fairly common occurrence. It certainly elicited a strong emotion in me, which is the sign of good writing, but the emotion was disgruntlement.
I feel like a child reading this book will be like, "Ugh! Exactly! Why do adults do this!?"
I feel like reading this to a child will quickly delve into the awkward conversation about how some adults like to laugh at kids getting angry and don't want to actually read to them.
But. Maybe I'm taking it too personally.
November 4, 2022
This hilarious book has a grandfather telling his granddaughter the story of Little Red Riding Hood all wrong, while the granddaughter corrects him. If your child would enjoy a book where Little green Riding Hood's mother tells her: "Now go to Aunt Hildegard's house and take her this potato peel." then this is the book for you! Right now, I am wondering if my husband would enjoy me coming home from work and reading this to him, and regretting that my child probably doesn't want me contacting them at college to read a picture book out loud, even though it's a really delightful story. I basically want to quote all the lines of the story in this review, but I am restraining myself, mostly. I love that the giraffe/wolf meets Little Red Riding Hood in the woods, and asks her "How much is six times eight?" Highly recommended!
This story has appeared in Rodari's book Telephone Tales, which I will have to read soon!
This story has appeared in Rodari's book Telephone Tales, which I will have to read soon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2022
"So the little girl went into the woods, and that's where she met a giraffe."
It's story time for grandpa and granddaughter! The only problem is...he's really bad at telling stories. He tells her the tale of Little Yellow Riding Hood...or was it green? Or black? Well, anyways, she goes to her grandma's house to deliver a potato peel and--no, no, that's all wrong!
With Rodari's humorously translated narrative and Alemagna's incredible and homey illustrations (and to be honest, I LOVE her illustrations in just about everything), this book makes for a fun read for those who are fans of Little Red Riding Hood retellings. It's about as whimsical as it is silly!
It's story time for grandpa and granddaughter! The only problem is...he's really bad at telling stories. He tells her the tale of Little Yellow Riding Hood...or was it green? Or black? Well, anyways, she goes to her grandma's house to deliver a potato peel and--no, no, that's all wrong!
With Rodari's humorously translated narrative and Alemagna's incredible and homey illustrations (and to be honest, I LOVE her illustrations in just about everything), this book makes for a fun read for those who are fans of Little Red Riding Hood retellings. It's about as whimsical as it is silly!
November 23, 2022
A grandfather tries telling his granddaughter the Red Riding Hood story, but keeps messing up the details in this uniquely illustrated tale.
Alemagna is hit or miss for me, but there is one illustration in the middle of the book where she uses negative space to show Red Riding Hood and it just looks very cool. This was named a best illustrated book by NYT and while it isn't my style, I appreciate the charm.
Also, my toddler loves correcting me when I get details wrong in stories, so this is a relatable story with a cute, funny punchline.
Alemagna is hit or miss for me, but there is one illustration in the middle of the book where she uses negative space to show Red Riding Hood and it just looks very cool. This was named a best illustrated book by NYT and while it isn't my style, I appreciate the charm.
Also, my toddler loves correcting me when I get details wrong in stories, so this is a relatable story with a cute, funny punchline.
April 2, 2023
My grandpa didn't read English particularly well but was always read for storytime when I was little. This story transported me right back there, where he'd tell the general gist of the story but lose details in translation. I'd help him fill it in, and it taught me how to recognize words on a page -- especially in favorites we read in constant repeat. It's like we were learning to read together. This book wasn't as amazing as my own memories, but I thank it for bringing me back there for a little bit.
September 12, 2023
This is one of those rare books that starts deliciously odd and grows odder with the reading. The fantastical illustrations and surprising text offer a fresh view of the old familiar tale: Little Red Riding Hood.
PS: I wasn't surprised to learn that it originially appeared in Gianni Rodari's Telephone Tales.
Themes: Fairy tales, humor, grandparents
Ages: K-2nd grade
Pub year: 2022
PS: I wasn't surprised to learn that it originially appeared in Gianni Rodari's Telephone Tales.
Themes: Fairy tales, humor, grandparents
Ages: K-2nd grade
Pub year: 2022
May 13, 2022
I feel like this is one of those “weird” books that I am going to still deeply love by the end of the year while everyone else has moved on to scratching their heads, trying to understand why I like such weird books. But I love this. I can feel this kid’s frustration at her grandpa’s incorrect (but, let’s face it, highly imaginative) storytelling. But it’s also affectionate, this relationship between grandparent and child. Such a quirky, funny book. Both thumbs up!
April 11, 2023
This is a story of a grandfather trying to tell the Little Red Riding Hood story to his granddaughter but he keeps getting it wrong and she has to correct him. While the text was funny, I found the illustrations distracting/disturbing? In fact, I first thought the grandad was a grandma! The illustrations really turned me off for some reason. Perhaps it would be good for a school age program with mixed up fairy tales. I don't think younger kids would get the humor or the illustrations.
October 17, 2023
Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna. From Rodari's class book, Telephone Tales. Translated by Antony Shugaar.
A grandpa telling the story of Little Red/Green/Yellow Riding Hood to his granddaughter, who keeps correcting him (a predecessor to Interrupting Chicken?) So much fun and young readers will be doing the correcting right along with the main character.
Love the large size of the book, thick cream papers, sketchy, expressive, painterly style of Alemagna's illustration.
A grandpa telling the story of Little Red/Green/Yellow Riding Hood to his granddaughter, who keeps correcting him (a predecessor to Interrupting Chicken?) So much fun and young readers will be doing the correcting right along with the main character.
Love the large size of the book, thick cream papers, sketchy, expressive, painterly style of Alemagna's illustration.
January 4, 2024
This book is a story about a grandpa who is telling a story to his granddaughter. As he tells the famous story of little red riding hood, he keeps mixing up the details with a response of correction from his granddaughter. The story never truly makes sense but the focus is the silly nature of the grandad being goofy with his granddaughter. I would not recommend this for young kids as they may not understand the humor.
April 19, 2025
Children *love* to be able to tell their grownups that they're telling a familiar story wrong, and adults love amusing themselves by telling overly familiar stories "wrong." Is the girl wearing a red hood, a yellow, or a black one? Is going to her aunt's house or her grandma's house? Does she meet a wolf or a horse? What does the wolf ask her? It becomes sillier and sillier, but comes to a conclusion that both child and adult are satisfied with.
May 10, 2025
Ummmmm this one was really strange. I loved the idea of telling a story so wrong that the people listening have to keep interrupting to correct the person, but I thought it would go somewhere or do something more with it, but the book just ends. I guess that’s like life, but between the underwhelming story and the art that I’m not a fan of (also, why the upskirt of a little girl? Wtf is that about), the story is between “fine” and “skip.”
July 30, 2025
This is an outstanding title that allows children (and adults) to engage with the story and its details in a deeper way. If you're engaging with a whole group of children, the energy in the room will be astounding because many of them will be outraged that the story is being told wrong. Illustrator Alemagna brings bright colors and many textures to the page for all to enjoy. The interplay between grandpa and the little girl is perfect.
January 18, 2023
My main wish: that this book had been longer. It's a cute concept, and I laughed out loud at some of the pages. My dad liked to read books to me and change the names (often inserting mine), and I would say, "That's not what that says!" So, of course I had to do that with my own children. The illustrations are quirky and interesting.
January 25, 2023
A humorous picture book about a grandfather telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood all wrong and his granddaughter correcting his errors. It is not uncommon for young listeners to correct a storyteller when familiar elements to a story have been changed and this book plays deftly with that scenario. This will be a fun book to share with readers who appreciate fractured fairy tales.
November 23, 2023
We picked this up because Beatrice Alemagna is the illustrator and it’s another from Enchanted Lion books. So glad our library carries all of ELB, it seems!
Funny, snarky, and lovingly rendered. Not amazing, but very solid.
We have put on hold the original longer book this text is from and are checking out other Rodari works.
Funny, snarky, and lovingly rendered. Not amazing, but very solid.
We have put on hold the original longer book this text is from and are checking out other Rodari works.
April 14, 2024
A cute book wherein a goofy grandpa trolls his granddaughter by deliberately messing up the telling of "Little Red Riding Hood", until she gives up.
Not an all-time classic on its own, but it did make me want to investigate the author's famed output a bit more. The illustrations by Beatrice Alemagna are uniquely charming as well.
Not an all-time classic on its own, but it did make me want to investigate the author's famed output a bit more. The illustrations by Beatrice Alemagna are uniquely charming as well.
February 20, 2025
This story is about a grandpa changing all the parts of little red riding hood with his granddaughter. It is a bit silly, the illustrations are super cool because they look like they were done in marker on perhaps beige construction paper. They are very soft and interesting, not like art that I have seen! Very cool.
August 13, 2022
The age old gag of an adult telling a well worn story wrong. In this case, Grandpa keeps calling Little RED Riding Hood, Little GREEN Riding Hood etc. Granddaughter plays along, the story gets more outlandish and it's fun. The illustrations were, in my opinion, unremarkable.
October 3, 2022
Silly and fun, this fractured fairy tale puts the child squarely in the seat of knowledge, while her grandpa's forgetful reading of a familiar story has a sharp-eyed goal in mind. The affection between child and grandparent is palpable. Illustrator Beatrice Alemagna is at her loosey-goosiest here.
March 4, 2023
This was a funny story involving a grandfather getting many details of the Little Red Riding Story wrong and his granddaughter correcting him. It would make a fun read aloud for grandparents or to use when studying fractured fairy tales.
March 9, 2024
A grandpa keeps telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood incorrectly to his granddaughter, I am assuming because he thinks if he tells it wrong, she will stop asking him and leave him alone. It works!
March 16, 2024
Are grandfathers natural storytellers? Or is he a "clever" old man who knows how to get away from his troublesome granddaughter in a natural way? Maybe a little bit of both. What's clear is that I, the reader, was entertained by his story and stayed with the book until the end.
Want to read
November 5, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews