Little Red

by Bethan Woollvin

Overview

In this New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book, girl power abounds as Little Red unravels the big bad wolf's plan.

On her way to Grandma's house, Little Red meets a wolf. That might scare some little girls, but not this little girl. She knows just what the wolf is up to, and she's not going to let him get away with it!

In this modern picture book update to "Little Red Riding Hood," author-illustrator Bethan Woollvin uses sly humor, striking visuals, and a bit of ingenuity to turn a familiar tale on its head. Perfect for mighty feminists and young readers who love fairy tales.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682632178
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,054,855
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Bethan Woollvin graduated from the Cambridge School of Art with a First Class Degree in Illustration. She has since made a name for herself with dark and witty twists on traditional stories. Her fractured fairy tale, Little Red, was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book. Bethan lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

01/18/2016
Several recent versions of Little Red Riding Hood have reimagined its gentle basket-carrier as a caped heroine with attitude, and British newcomer Woollvin’s retelling follows suit. The text and artwork are smart and economical: thickly stroked trees create a sense of goofy comedy, and a stripped-down palette of black, white, and soft gray makes Little Red’s vermilion cape and boots stand out with exclamatory force. The wolf’s feathery tail and sharklike snout loom, but his demand to know where Little Red is going doesn’t faze her. It “might have scared some little girls,” Woollvin writes, in a phrase repeated throughout, “but not this little girl.” A droll close-up of the wolf’s head shows a dinner plate with Little Red and Grandma in his brain space, a fork and knife on either side. At Grandma’s, Little Red sees through the wolf’s disguise. There’s a hatchet in a stump outside, and another tight close-up shows Little Red’s eyes shifting to the right. With a page turn and no further explanation, Little Red returns home wearing a wolf suit and a toothy grin. It’s fairy tale revenge that leaves the details to readers’ imaginations. Ages 5–9. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"This is how fairy tales were meant to be told."—School Library Journal

"A fine, feisty retelling"—Kirkus Reviews

"The text and artwork are smart"—Publishers Weekly

"A smart, empowering retelling"—Booklist

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
K-Gr 2—Little Red is one tough cookie. When a menacing wolf blocks the path to her grandmother's house, she looks him in the eye, answers his questions, and continues on her journey. The wolf "might have scared some little girls. But not this little girl." This phrase is repeated throughout the story. Woollvin's street-smart character cannot be fooled by the wolf, even when he dresses up as her grandma. Little Red "wasn't fooled for a minute." The familiar phrases of "Oh, Grandma! What big ears you have" and "What big ears and teeth you have" are included in this story, but the little girl doesn't wait for a woodsman to save her. She dispatches the wolf herself with an axe that she carries into the cabin. The dark humor continues to the end when readers see Little Red journeying home not in her red cape but in a shaggy wolfskin. The gouache and digital illustrations were made with black, gray, and red only. The close-ups of the wolf's face and Little Red's eyes add a sense of fright to the story. There is no bloodshed on the pages, but easily scared children might not like a couple of the illustrations. VERDICT This is how fairy tales were meant to be told.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

School Library Journal

2016-01-20
Little Red gets a bold look and attitude while the wolf gets his comeuppance. The text starts off traditionally enough, with Little Red's mother sending her into the woods with cake for her ailing grandmother, but the graphic art style portends innovation. Throughout, striking black and gray images deftly occupy the white of the page, with red as a vibrant highlight. When the red-cloaked girl encounters the wolf, she's unafraid, but in keeping with tradition, she tells him about her grandmother. Alas, this doesn't end well for Grandma, whom the wolf devours as one toothsome bite. When Little Red arrives after the fact, she peeks inside to see a "badly disguised wolf." Upon entering, she plays along, casting a withering side eye as she rattles off "what big […] you have!" lines. The gullible wolf lunges at her with the familiar cry: "All the better to… / …EAT YOU WITH!" But Little Red has a little secret: she holds an ax (no need for a burly woodcutter to swoop in and rescue her), and after a double-page spread extreme close-up of her magnificent eyes, the next spread depicts her sporting a wolf-skin, much as Roald Dahl's Little Red does in Revolting Rhymes (1982). It's a satisfying ending for Little Red, yet Grandma remains unmentioned and…dead. A fine, feisty retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood," albeit with a loose thread. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews