Book of the Week: Little Red

Little Red

by Bethan Woollvin
Published by U.S. edition: Peachtree, 2016
28 pages
ISBN: 978-1-56145-917-9
Ages 4-8

Little Red sets off through the forest to her Grandma’s house in a tale that will not be unfamiliar to some children, at least at its outset. In the forest, Little Red meets a wolf, who growls and asks where she’s going. “Which might have scared some little girls. But not this little girl.” Little Red, it turns out, is not only brave, but she’s smart—she’s not about to be fooled or eaten by a wolf in Grandma’s clothing. (Grandma, unfortunately, meets her demise.) A droll, fresh, spirited, singular retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” gives Little Red both the axe and the agency. “Which was unlucky for the wolf.” It’s fun and it’s bold and it’s distinctively designed and illustrated, with thick-lined gouache and digital art in black, white, gray and, of course, red. ©2016 Cooperative Children’s Book Center