Book Title: Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale
Author(s): Lisa Campbell Ernst
Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: Lisa Campbell Ernst
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright Date: 1995
Genre: Folklore/fairy tale picturebook
Brief Annotation: In this spin on Little Red Riding Hood, the main character is a girl who lives on the prairie, sporting a red hoodie and riding her bicycle through the fields and farms to reach her grandmother’s house with a basket of wheat berry muffins and fresh lemonade. Following the original story, Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf that intends to steal her goods. The ending is different, however, as the wolf encounters the grandmother on a tractor (originally mistaking her for an old man), who surprises the wolf with her size and strength.
Your Rating (1-5) and why: 3.5—Although this book is intended to be different from the original, I still prefer the older version. Besides a few references to the prairie and illustrations depicting a prairie setting, there isn’t too much that stands out about this story. It is fun, however, to see the grandmother portrayed as a feisty farmer rather than as a sickly, meek woman lying in bed, and she even shares her recipe (secret ingredient included) for wheat berry muffins on the last page!
Readers who will like this book: Kids who like the original story and/or other fairy tales; teachers looking for a book to use to compare and contrast familiar stories; parents wanting to introduce young children to a humorous version of Little Red Riding Hood that isn't scary or dark like the classic
Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: What is a prairie? What are some distinctive features of the prairie? Let’s look for clues that this story is set on a prairie (words and illustrations), and then we’ll compare and contrast it to other versions.
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): K—2
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.9
3. List awards: None
4. Book trailer: None
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