Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood

by Mike Artell, Jim Harris (Illustrator)

Big Bad Gator Claude will do anything to have a taste of Petite Rouge...even if it means putting on a duck bill, flippers, and frilly underwear. He presents no match for the spunky heroine and her quick-thinking cat TeJean, though, as they use some strong Cajun hot sauce to teach Claude a lesson he will never forget! The combination of hilarious rhyme and exaggerated art creates a highly original retelling of the classic fairy tale. A pronunciation guide/glossary accompanies a tempting dialect that begs to be read aloud or acted out again and again. This is Little Red Riding Hood as she's never been seen Cajun and ducky.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Mike Artell is a multi-award-winning author, illustrator, musician and professional speaker.

Mike has hosted his own television show and has created cartoons for many national publications and greeting card companies. Mike’s first children’s books were published in 1990 and since then, he has written and/or illustrated more than 40 books. Many of Mike’s books have won awards. Most recently, his book PETITE ROUGE – A CAJUN RED RIDING HOOD was named 2009 Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Over the years, Mike has shared his techniques for thinking, writing and drawing more creatively with hundreds of thousands of students and teachers at schools in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mike also stays busy as a platform speaker addressing many education, healthcare and association groups.

Mike lives in Covington, Louisiana with his wife Susan, a retired science teacher and middle school librarian. They have two grown daughters and 5 grandchildren.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her grand-mère has the flu, young Petite Rouge is dispatched by her mother with some hearty gumbo in this Cajun retelling of the classic European fairy-tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Warned to make her way across the swampy bayou with no delay, Petite Rouge sets out with her feline companion TeJean, only to find her way blocked by Big Bad Gator Claude. Fortunately, our heroine is able to outwit this alligator foe, both in the bayou and at grand-mère's house, where he has disguised himself as her relative...

With an entertaining text in rhyming Cajun dialect from author Mike Artell and delightfully expressive watercolor and pencil artwork from illustrator Jim Harris, Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood is a fun picture-book romp. I am not always a fan of transplanted tales of this kind, as I often find myself wishing that the storyteller had retold some traditional tale from the culture in question, rather than choosing to give a new "skin" to a well-known story from some other people or tradition. That being said, as the Cajun people do originally come from French-speaking settlers in what is now Canada, and as French fairy-tale author Charles Perrault is one of our original sources for this tale, perhaps it could be said to be part of their cultural heritage as well. I would be interested to know whether there was a traditional Cajun variant of this story, or whether Artell simply took the European tale and reclothed it, as it were. In any case, I did appreciate the introductory note about the Cajun people, and the inclusion of a glossary of Cajun terms. I think this one would make an entertaining read-aloud, especially for audiences that enjoy fairy and folktales, and it is for that purpose that I would recommend it. For myself, I finished it with a desire to seek out some traditional tales from the Cajun tradition itself.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mais oui!”, Mike Artell has created a hilariously funny Cajun fairy tale in Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood. The book starts with a brief history of the Cajun people and a short paragraph about Louisiana (his birth place) in the dedication. There is a much needed glossary of terms to help the reader since the book is written in what I assume is the authentic dialect of the region. The protagonist in the story is Petite Rouge Riding Hood who happens to be a duck! What else would you have if the setting takes place in the swamps of the bayou? The story plot follows as any other Little Red Riding Hood story with the protagonist trying to get to her sick Grand’Mere but running into an antagonist: this time an alligator. In this tale Petite Rouge has a helper, TeJean, the family cat. They don’t get far before they run into Claude.
“It was Claude, dat ol’ gator.
Petite Rouge gotta honch
dat ol’ Claude t’inkin’ he’d
like to have her fo’ lonch.”

I find the text surprisingly easy to read with the help of the glossary and background knowledge of the traditional Little Red Riding Hood tale. I can just hear the Cajun accent in my head while I read. The story continues but without the traditional,” my what big eyes you have” or the didactic elements of the original version. In this story the gator dons a duckbill mask and webbed feet. The illustrations by Jim Harris are worth seeing and depict what it might be like to live on the bayou and easily fill in any gaps from the text. The author supplies a different ending…. Cajun style. Here comes the spoiler; Claude is tricked into eating boudin (sausage) with hot sauce!! The last page with signs written by Claude will make you linger and then laugh! Claude does not seem as menacing as the wolf in other tales about Little Red. Definitely worth reading!

I would say this a fractured fairy tale but it really does stand alone on its own merits. The biggest character, the narrator, is never mentioned but one of my favorite features of the book, not to mention sassy Petite! This book would be ideal as a read aloud in a K though 3rd grade classroom but would be difficult for them to read on their own if they do not have experiences with this type of dialect. (Novelist suggests a Lexile reading level of 870= 5th grade). There is an audio version of the text that comes in cassette form but Mike Artell also made available audio files of him reading the text on his website www.mikeartell.com/books.html. The combination of cd and text could be part of a listening center after oral reading.

I can also see this book being used as part of a study of the regions of the United Sates in 3r to 5th grade classrooms. Louisiana has such an interesting cultural life that needs to be remembered especially after the exit of many of the citizens after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Children who enjoyed this version might also enjoy Little Red Cowboy Hat by Susan Lowell.

[L12_sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book of this story, which really made the story feel authentic. Narrator Vernel Bagneris has the creole accent down to an art, and helps put the reader in a bayou, somewhere in the south, where the Big, Bad Wolf is now a mean swamp gator, and Little Red Riding Hood is now known as Petite Rouge, who has her cat TeJean with her for company as she travels to Grand-mere's house. The story has definitely been changed to fit the region it comes from, which made me wish that I could have seen the book version of this story too, as it would have been nice to see images of the bayou and take a closer look at Mike Artell's text, which included actual French/creole words and a sing-song rhythm and rhyme that made the story even more enjoyable. This would be a wonderful resource for parents or educators trying to teach children about southern cuisine, Louisiana dialects, and life in the bayou!

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cajun Little Red Riding Hood. Written phonetically, so not recommended for early readers to read on their own. A bit wordy. Good artwork. I'm sure I butchered the accent, but my kids don't know the difference.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved very much so. Definitely want to get my own copy. Would highly recommend it.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well written retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

[Susan Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folklore

Artell, Mike and Jim Harris. Petite Rouge A Cajun Red Riding Hood. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2001.

This book gives a brief history of the Cajun people and a glossary of cajun terms. The story is a variation of Red Riding Hood with an alligator as the “wolf” and a duck as “Petit Rouge”. The setting takes place in a swamp/bayou and Petit Rouge is delivering cajun food to her grandmother (gumbo and boudin). In the end, Petit Rouge and her cat, TeJean, outsmart the alligator, Claude, by using hot sauce on the boudin (sausage) that they feed to him. The hot sauce sends Claude into the swamp desperately trying to get rid of the fire in his mouth. Claude swears off eating others; he believes they are too hot to eat.

The book takes place in a cajun swamp with cat tails and lily pads. The swamp contains frogs, turtles, mice and alligators. The food is an introduction to cajun food and terms: gumbo, boudin, file and etoufee. Many words of the cajun dialect are used: “adieu”, “sil vous plait”, “mais oui”. Grandma is referred to as “Grand-mere” and Petit Rouge travels via a “pirogue”, a canoe. Both Petit Rouge and Grand-mere live in the swamp; Grand-mere’s house is built on stilts above the swamp and appears to be rundown.

This book could be used in a study of Cajun people or as part of a unit on Mardi Gras. It would be a great book to be used to study different cultures within the United States. After reading several versions of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, students could write their own adaptation of a folktale using choosing a culture they had recently studied. Appropriate for grades K-3. Themes include folktales, rhyming, Cajun customs/dialect.

Awards, Honors & Prizes :
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award, 2004 Winner Louisiana
Storytelling World Resource Award, 2002 Honor Book United States

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell and illustrated by Jim Harris is such a fun book! First of all it is a remake of the infamous story of Little Red Riding Hood retold as a Cajun story. The book is written in rhyme which makes reading a lot of fun. In addition to rhyming the book is written with a distinct "Cajun" voice. Reading with a Cajun accent can be challenging, but kids and adults will enjoy doing the voice. One thing I love about the book is that at the beginning the author includes some footnotes of Cajun vocabulary words to be aware of. This will help the reader with the translation of what is written. The illustrations in this book are awesome! The animation is not only fun and exciting with vibrant colors, but it also contains unique picture-esque scenery with a very Cajun driven environment. Little Red Riding Hood in this book is a duck and the wolf is an alligator. The story takes place in a swamp. The author and writer do a very creative job with rhyming and creating originality to the epic folk tale. I recommend this book to younger readers but also parents and anyone who enjoys challenging themselves fluently in a different written dialect. Fun book!

[Ch_amyM · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In a little ol' house dat been built outta wood, live a girl people call Petite Rouge Riding Hood." So starts the story of Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell with beautiful yet fun pictures by Jim Harris. This is the Cajun version of Little Red Riding Hood, who takes the form of a female duck who is attempting to visit her sick grandmother. In order to do so she has to travel through the swamps and stear clear of Claude, "dat ol' gator." The plot is very similar to the original tale, with the alligator replacing the wolf and a duck replacing Red Riding Hood. The book is written in rhyme with a Cajun dialect.
I had had fun reading this book and just know that students would enjoy it as well, especially if they were familiar with the traditional story. Some of the words might be tricky to pronounce if you aren't used to the dialect so I might advise to read it before reading it aloud to students. You can easily use this to compare and contrast this version with the traditional version. You could also use this book to open up research and learning about Cajun people and the history and culture of their people.

[L11-Sharri Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definately my favorite retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It is written in a Cajun accent that rhymes. There is a glossary at the beginning of the book to help with the meaning and pronunciation of several of the words. Petite Rouge Riding Hood is a goose wearing a red cape that will take a basket of food to her grand-mere that is sick. On the way she takes a boat across the swamp and runs into a gator. The gator wants her food, but Petite Rouge is brave and says, "An' I got me dis pole, so git out de way!" The gator goes ahead of her and enters into grand-mere's house. Grand-mere hides in the closet. Petite Rouge tricks the gator by putting hot sauce on the boudin (sausage). The gator thinks that he has eaten Petite Rouge. The illustrations are humorous and the last page has a picture of the gator surrounded by signs that say things like, "No little Cajun girls Allowed!"

This book would be good for Grades 1-3. I listened to this on audio and I loved hearing the Cajun accent. I think students would love to learn about some of the words in the Glossary.

[M A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just bought and read this book aloud for my 7-year-old niece and we really enjoyed it. I found the retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" equal parts authentic and refreshing. Petite Rouge is presented as a bit more resourceful and self-reliant than the traditional character -- her actions and dialogue are equally funny and admirable. Her sidekick, Tejean, also has a fun role in assisting Rouge in outsmarting Ol' Claude, the big bad gator.

My one grievance is that my niece had trouble reading the book aloud because the book itself is written in phonetic spellings and punctuation intended to depict Cajun patois dialect. It includes a few Cajun words that might be unfamiliar or tough to pronounce correctly for readers unfamiliar with Cajun French. Examples include: "Petite Rouge," "Grand-mere," "TeJean," "pirouge," "boudin," and "cher."

With that said, the story is fun an interesting and the illustrations are gorgeous. If you enjoy Cajun culture, this is a quick, fun way to share some family time with younger family members.

[Jaclyn Kruljac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petite Rouge is an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. In this fun fractured fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood is replaced with the character of a duck who is trying to go to visit her sick grandmother. The book is set on the Bayou in which the duck has to pass through the swamp of the Bayou and get past Claude the alligator who replaces the character of the wolf in the original tale. This version of the book is very closely aligned to the original plot line of Little Red with the setting, characters and dialect to match that of the Cajun culture of Louisiana. I think this book would be a great way to compare and contrast the original version of the book to this version. This would make for a fun read aloud to young students as it is written in rhyme and dialect of the Cajun culture with a background of the culture and glossary in the beginning of the book. I read this book in audio format using audible.com. Listening to the book provides the listener with the Cajun accent and dialect read by the author himself.

[Amanda Nicholls · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to obtain a hard copy of this book.
Petite Rouge starts out with a glossary of Cajun words that are used throughout the book.
In this version, a duck by the name of Petite Rouge is told to take gumbo and other supplies to her "grand-mere." Instead of a wolf, Petite Rouge come across a "gator" named Claude in the swamp. Claude beats Petite Rouge to "grand-mere's" house. Instead of eating "grand-mere," Claude scares her and she locks herself in a closet. When Petite Rouge shows up, she recognizes something is wrong. With the help of "grand-mere's" cat and some hot sauce, Petite Rouge defeats Claude. The story was told in a Cajun dialect, which was interesting, but made it somewhat challenging to read. I felt that it stereotyped the culture a bit. Upon further research, I learned that the author, Mike Artell, is from Louisiana, so it's possible he does have some insider's perspective.
This would be a good text to use for teaching using dialect in writing and for comparing and contrasting different versions of Little Red Riding Hood.

[Jennifer Tarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cajun version of Little Red Riding Hood provides a funny and clever resolution to a classic tale of caution. Written to be read aloud, this version is a rhymed poem with cajun pronunciation and vocabulary. (Note, reader may want to practice this before trying a read-aloud as listener comprehension is helped by capturing the intonation and rhythm.) The delightful illustrations support the understanding of the text and add to the humor and fun. The protagonist in this version is a feisty young girl, who is not a victim who needs to be saved, but instead, a girl who recognizes she is at risk and outsmarts her foe.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not generally a fan of fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood included. However, for its genre, this is a decent pick. Better than the original story this Cajun version relies on its rhyming verses and a big, bad alligator to add a twist the familiar tale.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Cajun told, with the dialect, and culture, food and setting. The poetry of it flows well, and this might be a fun read-aloud with a little rehearsal. :)

[Bryan Podell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell, is a hilarious retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood Grimm tale infused with Cajun culture. In my search to find different versions of the classic tale, I found this story here on Goodreads, booksmykidsread.blog, and kidworldcitizen.org (it was recommended on several other blogs, too). **SPOILER ALERT** First off, this book is only written in verse and rhymes, but it is written entirely in Cajun dialect (and none of it feels forced)! This story follows the classic Little Red Riding Hood story, where the little girl must bring goodies to her grandma, but interchanges it with all sort of Cajun culture along with her cat friend Claw. First, Petit Rouge (French for little red) is a duck who must deliver gumbo to her sick grandma who has come down with the flu. Instead of walking to grandma's house, Petit Rouge takes the family's boat through the swamp. Instead of coming across a wolf, the little duckling comes across a big alligator, who Petit Rouge shoos off. The alligator sneaks into the grandma duck's home and dresses as her grandma. Seeing a big alligator dressed as a tiny duck is hilarious. Once Petit Rouge arrives at Grandma's house and the encounter ensues, Claw and Petit Rouge defend themselves against the gator by feeding it hot sauce, which causes the gator to burn up and run away into the swamp to cool off. I absolutely loved the retelling of this story, written in a rhyming verse and chock full of Cajun culture and would recommend it to any elementary grade, as the pictures alone are worth the read (and the laughter)!

If I were a teaching this book, I think that, depending on the grade level, I would use read this story to teach two different things. The first would be how to write a story in verse. I think that students from a young age are taught that poetry and prose exist in separate realms, so even just exposing this to youngers is important; maybe even having older grades try writing some! The second and most important focus would be the introduction of Cajun culture. I do not feel as though many midwestern school teach about Cajun culture at all, so taking something that students are familiar with (the story of Little Red Riding Hood), and putting a new spin on it would be a great introduction to Cajun culture. For each element of Cajun culture, the class could explore the food and the setting, maybe even getting to taste gumbo.

[Holly Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Petite Rouge Riding Hood is a retelling of the classic tale, Little Red Riding Hood; however, Little Red is a cajun goose and the wolf is a gator who "turns" into a goose. Petite Rouge even has a trusty pal named TeJean, who is a cat. Petite and her cat set off an trip to visit and deliver delicious cajun cooking to Petite's grand-mère, but while on the way "dat ol' gator Claude" shows up and readers quickly learn that Claude has not good intentions. The story follows a similar plot to the original Red Riding Hood story; however, a little cajun spice is added to the ending, that deliciously wraps up the good ol' folktale, or should I say...cajuntale (ba doom tis). Nevertheless, the story is a fun read, if readers are up for the challenge. Readers who are not familiar with cajun language and accents may find difficulty reading the book as the words can appear choppy, again, if one is not familiar with the language. Almost every word is sprinkled with cajun seasoning making a read aloud of the story particularly engaging and fun, especially when one is familiar with the language. For instance, the sentence "An' when she say 'One,' O'l Claude back out de way. He know dat de girl sho' nuff mean what she say," contains a few sight words that most readers may be familiar with; however, the spelling and grammar of other commonly used words are cut, chopped, and diced to help one pronounce words with a cajun twist.
The illustrations add to the story's comical and home-cooked appeal through it's watercolored renderings of wetland environments containing houses on the water, dark colored waters, and multiple native creatures. The illustrations not only reinforce the text, but they include creative asides that extend the storyline a bit further than the text portrays. One example can be seen on the last page where mice are carrying helpings of mama's good cooking into their tiny hole. Numerous tiny, yet effective extensions can be seen throughout the book which only add to the overall fun experience the book can help create. I enjoyed reading this book and read the book aloud in a (I hope) cajun accent, making me want to work on my fluency and visual literacy skills for future read alouds. Overall, this book is a fun, engaging, and amusing book that readers of almost any age can enjoy. Adieu, for now!

[Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'aime vraiment ce livre! What a great retelling of an iconic fairy tale. This wonderful storybook is written by Mike Artell and artfully illustrated by Jim Harris. In the tale of Petite Rouge, a plucky duck is sent to visit her ailing Grand-mere in the bayou and to deliver some Cajun cooking. On the way, Petite Rouge encounters a hungry, sly alligator named Claude who would love nothing more than to eat the food in Petite Rouge's basket (and her too!). As Claude is stymied in his efforts by Petite Rouge, he decides to hurry to Grand-mere's house to lie in wait, and, well, you know the rest. Or do you? Suffice it to say that all involved parties come out on the other side of this humorous fairy tale unscathed and that Claude learns his lesson too.

The story of Petite Rouge is told using rhyme and a Cajun dialect interspersed with the English text. This makes for a fun and animated read-aloud although you will want to practice the Cajun accent and dialogue at least once before you read this book out loud for the first time. Most youngsters will already be familiar with the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood so even if the Cajun language is unfamiliar they will still be able to comprehend the story based on the illustrations and their prior knowledge of Little Red Riding Hood. There is a glossary at the beginning of the book which introduces some of the French and Cajun vocabulary in the story.

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood has a Lexile of 610L and is recommended for readers from 5-8 years of age, grades K-3. As mentioned previously, this story is designed for a read-aloud and fits well within the BDA model of instruction. Before reading, introduce the new vocabulary, use print concepts to stimulate interest and make predictions. During reading, use a think-aloud strategy to check understanding and engage listeners. After reading, ask students to compare and contrast story elements between Little Red Riding Hood and Petite Rouge (e.g. Venn Diagram).
Additional resources for activities and projects using Petite Rouge are available here (including other cultural versions of Little Red Riding Hood):
https://teachingwithchildrensbooks.co...#

[Kristen LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

GORGEOUS illustrations coupled with an interesting take on a childhood classic, "Petite Rouge: A Cajun Riding Hood" embraces Louisiana culture and even the text is written in a way that has a "Cajun accent" to it. Mike Artell really did his homework to get accurate details of marshland and swamps to create a setting for a story that I found to be even more engaging that the original "Red Riding Hood." Petite Rouge is a little goose whose mother sends on a journey to visit her grandmother. This time, however, Petite Rouge has a savory, and decadent, southern meal to deliver that a hungry gator wants. The story plays out in the same manner, except Petite Rouge warns the gator to leave her, and her grandmother's food, alone but the alligator does not listen. He scares the grandmother and waits anxiously for Petite Rouge, pretending to be the grandmother goose. When the gator tries to eat the meal brought for the grandmother, he does not realize just how spicy it is, and runs away screaming. He said he would never eat another human again because they are too hot for him. Along with the amazing Cajun twist to the story, the illustrations are wonderfully done watercolor paintings that are beyond detailed, yet accurate. If someone wants to read a story that children know but show them how any story can be relatable to them, this would be an excellent choice, especially for a Louisiana history lesson. Definitely a book to check out that is a great read and breath of fresh air. I do not regret taking the time to read this.

[Megan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petite Rouge is a great twist to Little Red Riding Hood. This is the Cajun version that I found on Booklist. There is also an audio and digital version of this text available here. This story is about a little girl duck who is trying to take gumbo to her grandma who is sick. This is just the original, but then she sees a swamp full of alligators. Petite Rouge's mother warns her about the swamp but she has to cross it. Petite Rouge meets Claude who disguises himself as grandmother. Petite questions the false grandma and then throws hot sauce at him. Claude jumps back into the swamp as his mouth is on fire. This story is so fun to see a different culture's version.

This is more of a challenging read for students as it brings in some Cajun language that is hard to sound out. However with that being said, it does bring in some great text using another language. The culture is so strong in this book through the text, the illustrations, and the overall theme of the book. This book is for more advanced readers who have a strong ability to decode words. This would be another great book to use when comparing/contrasting multiple versions of the same story. This is much more diverse and hits the diverse background of the Cajun culture. I would definitely recommend adding this book to your library!

[Beth Wozencraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Petite Rouge. I found it funny and a welcome break from the typical Little Red Riding Hood story. This story takes place in Cajun Country, Louisiana. Little Red Riding Hood is a duck instead of a girl and the wolf is an alligator. This only makes sense as ducks and alligators are found in Louisiana. The story takes place in the swamps of Louisiana and instead of walking through a forest Petite Rouge is traveling by boat through the swamps. I found the way Artell combined the classic story and the Cajun setting to be very thorough. He really took into consideration the setting and how the characters would be different. He even had the characters talk with a southern twang and use words from the French language (since Louisiana is known for its French influences). Overall, I found this book clever and would recommend it to anyone wanting to read a different take on Little Red Riding Hood. I think this book would work great as a compare and contrast activity with a more traditional take on the story. I also think it would be interesting to explore the Cajun influences on the book and maybe have students write their own versions of Little Red Riding Hood.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petite Rouge, a young duck, is headed off in her pirogue with her cat TeJean to bring her Grand-mere some boudin and other bayou style comfort food while she recovers from the flu. As she is leaving, her mother calls out the warning to not stop in the swamp saying, "don't you stop on de way", for fear of gators. Petite Rouge and TeJean are confronted by 'ole Claude, the gator along their path and as the story unfolds they must outsmart Claude to save themselves and Grand-mere. In a Cajun retelling of the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, the reader is introduced to life in the bayou and the vocabulary which accompanies it. Told in rhyming verse, and meant to be read in a Louisiana accent, this story delights readers with a sound and a rhythm that keeps the story moving and entertaining. The illustrations add to the fun by portraying Petite Rouge as a brave little duck who is not afraid to defend herself against a large gator while giving the reader glimpses of the bayou. The extra details added in - well known paintings reworked with ducks and a family of mice enjoying the food add to the fun of the tale. A fun retelling of the traditional story, ideal for 5-9 year olds.

[Kaitlyn Day]

Summary: Petit Rouge is a little girl duck who is trying to take food to her grandmother, who is sick. But she has to face an obstacle when she has to cross the swamp full of alligators to get to grandma’s house. She gets past the alligator, but then the alligator beats her to her grandmother’s house. So, the alligator pretends to be grandma to steal the food from Petit Rouge.

Evaluation: This book was very familiar because it is the same story as Little Red Riding Hood, except with a duck and an alligator because the setting is in Louisiana. The book was intriguing and engaging all throughout. It involved several cultural references to Louisiana such as the gumbo Petit Rouge is bringing to grandma.

Teaching: I would use this book as a fun way to incorporate a different culture into the classroom. The book has many southern words in it, so it can be read in a way that is silly to the students, but is also how people in that area speak. The students can learn new vocabulary words through this book and about a different part of America.

[Ari]

This fun book is a different rendition of LRRH that is written in creole. In this story, Petite Rouge is on her way to grandma's house. Before petite leaves, the mom tells her don't stop on the way. There are gators that will eat up petite rouge's goodies. Petite Rouge takes a pirogue through the bayou and meets Claude the gator on the way that wants to eat her snacks, but petite bats him off with a stick. Claude the gator is angry about this so he gets to petite's grandma's house first. While at the house Claude knocks over a dresser and scares grandma, so she hides in the closet. With grandma in the closet, Claude dresses in grandma's pajamas and pretends to be her in order to eat the food. Once Petite got to grandma's Claude jumps at Petite to try and eat her. Her cat, takes a piece of boudin and douses it in hot sauce Petite takes the boudin and throws it into Claude's mouth. He jumps into the bayou because it is so hot. Grandma and Petite eat their snacks while they laugh at Claude.

[Megan Mason]

Summary:
This book is a Cajun version of Little Red Ridinghood where Petite Rouge is the main character and is a duck while the big bad wolf is portrayed as an alligator by the name of Claude. The book uses rhyming and a Cajun accent to portray the story so that whoever is reading it to students can portray what it would be like. It is a funny story where Petite Rouge saves the day with some hot sauce.

Evaluation:
I believe this would be a great story to read to kids! It not only is a play off of a classic, but also includes different cultures and is a funny and engaging story! There are so many things teachers or parents can do with this book.

Teaching Ideas:
As a teacher I believe I could use this when talking about culture with students. We would do an interactive read aloud with the book and then I would have parents or myself bring in some food or objects that represent the Cajun culture.

[Carly Shark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood was defined on the Kirkus website as the “slaphappy and musical rendering of Little Red Riding Hood […] straight from bayou country.” Although the main character is a duck called Petite Rouge (meaning “Little Red” in French) this time around, the story is comparable to the original plot where the young girl (duck) is off to visit her grandma (Grand-mère) who is not feeling well. Before she leaves, her mama warns her to stay clear of the gators in the swamp as she travels in her pirogue (a Cajun canoe) with her cat TeJean. It isn’t before long they run into Ol’ Claude who the duck manages to fight off with her pole, but the gator isn’t giving up yet and heads to Grand-mère’s house. Ol’ Claude scares the old duck into a closet then dresses up in her frilly nightgown and cap then pretends to be Grand-mère when Petite Rouge walks in the door with TeJean in tow. Her gran-duck grows suspicious and once Ol’ Calude knows he’s been caught, he lunges at his potential lunch! “But TeJean de cat, ya’ll, / he know what to do. / He smart fo’ a cat. / Yeah, you know dat fo’ tru.” That clever feline grabs the bottle of Red Hot Sauce, tosses it to Petite Rouge who puts it on a piece of boudin, and it lands in the gator’s mouth. With his mouth on fire, Ol’ Claude jumps in the swamp water to cool off while Grand-mère, Petite Rouge, and TeJean sit down for a lunch together.

In 2009, Mike Artell, writer of Petite Rouge, was named the Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. I chose a nonprint format (a YouTube video) when reviewing this title, which I found to be as entertaining as I did helpful because the story is told in a funky, rhyming way using a strong Cajun dialect. The YouTube reader chose to use a different voice for each character, enhancing the listening experience while making the story easier to comprehend. Other reviews mentioned there is a pronunciation guide/glossary that can clarify any confusion for the reader! As seen in the summary, the writing represents the true Cajun community who live in Louisiana and Artell does a fantastic job keeping the tricky text in a “straightforward, horizontal manner with most line breaks determined by the side margins” as our class textbook, Children’s Books in Children’s Hands, mentions. As for the illustrations, I discovered that Jim Harris had to take a trip to the bayous of New Orleans to get a better idea of how to illustrate the story. In his research he learned the history of the Cajun people, looked at Cajun houses, a pirogue, and even a barrel of hot sauce, and observed what alligators look like at feeding time. I think the watercolor illustrations portray the community very accurately (despite the fictional characters), especially the sharp-toothed alligator, murky swamp waters, and Grand-mère’s house high above the water. The story is a laugh-out-loud tale that will be appreciated by fans of Little Red Riding Hood.

First and foremost, I would compare Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood to the traditional tale as well as other versions using a Venn diagram. There are many similarities (i.e.: the protagonist being sent to her ill grandmother’s house) and differences too (i.e.: the way the protagonist wins at the end) that would be great to discuss. Also, reading Petite Rouge offers an opportunity for students to learn about the Cajun lifestyle using the book’s guide/glossary and the internet such as the way they talk, what they eat, their celebrations (Mardi Gras), and more.

[Rachel Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version of Little Red Riding Hood was probably the cutest one I’ve read. Red is a duck that is sent to see her grandmother, along with a cat (to guid her on the boat across the swamp). This story has a New Orleans flare to it, because it is the Cajun Re Riding Hood. The language in here was, at times, difficult to read because a lot of it was slang and in a southern accent. I can see the little kids enjoying this very much. Some differences in this story include an alligator instead of a wolf, the use of hot sauce to get rid of the alligator, and her grandmother hiding in a closet instead of getting eaten by the alligator. Very different from the classic tale, but still very cute. This would make for a great read aloud!

[Chelsie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petite Rouge transplants the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood into the Bayou, featuring a family of geese, a pet cat, and a very sly crocodile. The story remains mostly true to the original, but it is told through the vernacular of the Cajun people.

My first reading of this book was independent and silent, which I knew right away was not the right way to enjoy it. I then found this YouTube video that provided a Read-Aloud version of the story, which I enjoyed immensely. The rich cultural references and the dialect of the Cajun people really come alive when read aloud, and the book is really a poetic experience with a “spicy” twist on the traditional ending.

I would recommend reading this book aloud to your little ones (or, if you’re not brave, use the YouTube link I provided) and having a discussion about the way that the language enhances the story. I could see this book being used in a social studies or English classroom and it would provide great discussions about traditional stories, different cultures, and writing in general.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

An EXCELLENT retelling with a charmingly localized appeal. It's a great introduction to the concepts of local cultures (not everyone is part of a background that reflects a child's own), independent dialects (Linguistics is complicated and even within in English, different rules apply in different contexts), and how reinterpretations work to tell a new tale while maintaining consistent story features (taking object permanence to a new level of nuance).

With a beautifully rendered dialect that begs to be acted out in full, this is probably my ALL-TIME favorite retelling of Red Riding Hood for kids.