This summer, when you want to keep your emerging and early readers from going on a slide, it’s a great idea to explore the fun of fairy tales. And there’s no better place to start than with Little Red Riding Hood, because many kids have heard of Little Red since the time they looked up and smiled at their own grandmas.
Try These 10 Terrific Little Red Tales
As part of her efforts to get ready for a summer reading program, children’s librarian Trish Sabini, of the Ossining Public Library, just happened to have a neat stack of Little Red tales on her desk, the day I asked her for fairy tale recommendations. With the exception of the graphic novel below, all of these picks are hers (for which Tweetspeak extends a big “thank you,” and you might too).
Where to begin, with your fairy tale foray? You can start with the Grimm’s version if you like, then play a little game of “let’s see how the tale on our table is the same or different,” as you embark on a reading journey that can take you across culture, setting, tone, and time.
Here are 10 tale variations, to get you started.
1. Little Red, by Bethan Woollvin
“One day, Little Red’s mother called to her.”
2. Ninja Red Riding Hood, by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat
“Once upon a Ninja-filled time, a wolf couldn’t catch any prey.”
3. Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa, by Niki Daly
“Salma lived on with her granny and grandfather on the quiet side of town. One day, her granny said, ‘Salma! Pretty Salma, please go to market for your old granny, who loves you so.'”
4. Little Red Hot, by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
“Once upon a time there was a little biddy Texas gal called Little Red Hot.”
5. Little Red Cowboy Hat, by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Randy Cecil
“Once upon a ranch, far away in the wilds of the West, there lived a little girl with red, red hair.”
6. Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood, by Mike Artell, illustrated by Jim Harris
“Back in de swamp/where dat Spanish moss grow,/I heard me a story/from long time ago.”
7. Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale, by Lisa Campbell Ernst
“Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived at the edge of a great prairie.”
8. Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China, translated and illustrated by Ed Young
“Once, long ago, there was a woman who lived alone in the country with her three children.”
9. A Graphic Novel of Grimm’s Little Red Cap, illustrated by Sara Barkat
“Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing she would not have given to the child.”
10. The Wolf’s Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood, by Toby Forward, illustrated by Izhar Cohen
“No, please. Look at me. Would I lie to you? It was the old woman who started it.”
Easy Teaching Strategy: Let’s Play “Same or Different”
While reading fairy tales that are variations on an original, it’s easy to play “same or different?”. You can look for similarities and differences along the lines of theme/topic, language, culture, setting, tone, and time. Then move to comparing other tales outside your original collection. So, for instance, you could begin by playing “same or different?” with the Little Red stories and then compare a Little Red story to a Beauty and the Beast story.
Here are some familiar fairy tale themes and topics to compare (see University of Pittsburgh fairy tale collection):
• advice well-taken
• getting lost (and being found)
• hair growth and hair loss
• birthmarks of the princess (proof of identity)
• bride tests
• becoming rich through a dream or marriage
• foolish wishes
• the dangers of overuse
• appearances can be deceiving
• transformations are possible
• cleverest or most honest or innocent person wins
• unexpected hero arises
• marrying under enchantment
• rescue someone who is loved
• seeking one’s fortune
• paying for mistakes
• proving your worth
• dealing with riddle trials
• handling magical artifacts
• mistreated by someone who should be loving
Here are some fairy tale language conventions to look for:
• “Once” or “One day” or “Once upon a time” (not placed in time or geographic region)
• A girl, a boy, a husband, a wife, a prince, a princess, a stepmother, a father, a mother, a godmother, a grandmother, a sister, a brother, a son, a daughter, a witch, a hunter (unnamed, timeless characters)
• “And so it was”
• “It just so happened that”
• “Truly” or “In truth” or other truth variations
• “Old” and “young”
• “Three”
Here are some common fairy tale images and colors to compare:
• forest
• road or path
• fairies and elves
• talking animals
• eggs
• seeds
• flowers
• fruits
• clothes, cloth, thread, or other sewing or garment images
• straw
• iron
• coins
• birds
• salt
• shoes or slippers
• bells
• feathers
• fire
• pots
• bones
• mirrors
• rings
• rain
• snow
• wind
• stones
• sun
• moon
• pools, ponds, rivers, wells
• red
• gold
• blue
• ebony
• pure white
Altogether, exploring fairy tales can be fun for both you and the kids. These timeless tales help us remember we can overcome the big, bad wolf, with a little help from our friends (and sometimes our grandmas).
Photo by Jon Bunting, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by L.L. Barkat, author of The Golden Dress: A Fairy Tale.
Add The Golden Dress to your magical summer list!
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Donna Falcone says
I didn’t know there were so many Red tales!
AND…. only six sleeps until The Golden Dress arrives in all its shimmery love.
L.L. Barkat says
I imagine there are many more, though these are the ones that Trish pulled for her summer program. How generous that she offered them all to me, a writer in need. 🙂
It’s really fun to read them all and see the similarities and differences. Here are the openings, for instance:
• One day, Little Red’s mother called to her. —Little Red
• Once upon a Ninja-filled time, a wolf couldn’t catch any prey. —Ninja Red Riding Hood
• Salma lived on with her granny and grandfather on the quiet side of town. One day, her granny said, “Salma! Pretty Salma, please go to market for your old granny, who loves you so.” —Pretty Salma
• Once upon a time there was a little biddy Texas gal called Little Red Hot. —Little Red Hot
• Once upon a ranch, far away in the wilds of the West, there lived a little girl with red, red hair. —Little Red Cowboy Hat
• Back in de swamp/where dat Spanish moss grow,/I heard me a story/from long time ago. —Petite Rouge
• Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived at the edge of a great prairie. —Little Red Riding Hood
• Once, long ago, there was a woman who lived alone in the country with her three children. —Lon Po Po
• Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing she would not have given to the child. —The Graphic Novel of Grimm’s
• No, please. Look at me. Would I lie to you? It was the old woman who started it. — The Wolf Story
Donna Falcone says
HA! Love this one: • Back in de swamp/where dat Spanish moss grow,/I heard me a story/from long time ago. —Petite Rouge 🙂
L.L. Barkat says
That one was for Glynn. 😉
Donna Falcone says
😀
Kortney Garrison says
Thanks for the list of common themes and especially for the Graphic Novel of LRR! Love the image on the second page of that giant wolf with gleaming eye and tiny Red.
L.L. Barkat says
This was really fun to put together. I think many of us intuitively know when we’re encountering a fairy tale, but we’ve not necessarily taken the time to consider the common elements.
Also, I learned that one study found that the colors in fairy tales tended to be a big source of imagination-stirring in children.
Sally Batchelder says
Thanks! I’d add Carmine: A Liitle More Red, by Melissa Sweet to the list!!
L.L. Barkat says
Sally, thanks for the recommendation. Anything you particularly love about it? 🙂