Little Red Riding Hood: Retellings and Variant Tales
Selected and annotated by Ann Ohms
Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. SeaStar Books, 2000. Gr. 3- Adult.
Molly Bang uses the tale “Little Red Riding Hood” to explore how shapes, color, lines, and composition in illustration effect perception and emotion within the reader.
Browne, Anthony. Into the Forest. Candlewick Press, 2004. Gr. 3-5.
This picture book for older children centers upon a sad young boy who wakes up one morning to find that his Dad is gone. His mom asks him to take a cake to Grandmas and he is disobedient and becomes lost in the wood. On his journey, the boy encounters contemporary kids in elemental fairy-tale roles-- among them, Red Riding Hood.
Doherty, Berlie. Fairy Tales; illus. by Jane Ray. Candlewick Press, 2000. All ages.
A beautiful collection of twelve classic fairly tales and stunning illustrations, including “Little Red Riding Hood.”
Ernst, Lisa Campbell. Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale. Simon & Schuster. Ages 5-8.
Set in the mid-western prairie, Little Red Riding Hood rides her bike through croplands and past tractors to deliver muffins and lemonade to her spunky grandmother. This version includes a muffin recipe at its conclusion!
Evetts-Secker, Josephine. Little Red Riding Hood; illus. by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Barefoot Books, 2004. Ages 5-8.
This traditional adaptation uses soft color and acrylic, pencil, and oil pastel illustrations to shed new light on the old tale. Readers will be surprised to see the blue wolf, unique to Evetts-Secker’s retelling.
Forward, Toby. The Wolf’s Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood; illus. by Izhar Cohen. Candlewick, 2005. Gr. Pre-K-2.
A funny retelling of the events of “Little Red Riding Hood” told from the wolf’s point of view.
Harper, Wilhelmina. The Gunniwolf; illus. by Barbara Upton. Penguin, 2003. Ages 4-7.
While often compared to Little Red Riding Hood, this cautionary tale depicts a different folktale motif. By singing a song, a young girl is able to distract the sly wolf and escape to safety.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together; illus. By Michael Emberley. Tingley/Little, 2004. Gr. 2-3
In this collection of eight well-known fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood is recreated as a short play for two reading voices.
Hyman, Trina Schart. Little Red Riding Hood. Holiday House, c1983. Ages 4-8.
Trina Schart Hyman adapted and illustrated the classic Brothers Grimm version of this tale which was deemed a Caldecott Honor book
Lowell, Susan. Little Red Cowboy Hat; illus. by Randy Cecil. Holt, 1997. Ages 5-8.
This retelling has a southwestern spin; Little Red rides through the desert on her horse, encountering rattlesnakes, canyons, and cacti on her way to grandmother’s house.
Marcantonio, Patricia Santos. Red Ridin’ in the Hood : and other Cuentos; illus. by Renato Alarcão. Farrar, 2005. Gr. 3-6.
This collection of stories for older children contains 11 folktale retellings with a Pan-Latino cultural spin. “Red Ridin’ in the Hood” takes place in the city, as a young girl decides to take a shortcut through a tough neighborhood despite her mother’s warnings.
Marshall, James. Red Riding Hood. Dial Books, 1987. Ages 4-8.
Marshall uses humor, minimal text, and simplification of plot to appeal to the youngest of readers in his comic retelling.
McKissack, Patricia. Flossie and the Fox; illus. by Rachel Isadora. Dial, 1986. Gr. 1-3.
Flossie is cautioned by her mother to stay away from the sly fox as she delivers a basket of eggs to her neighbor in the rural South. Flossie encounters the fox on her journey and outsmarts the fox at his own game.
McNaughton, Colin. Oops! Harcourt Brace, 1997. Ages 5-8.
This funny variant is a cross between “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” Preston the Pig sets off to granny’s house and encounters a confused wolf that is unsure of which fairy tale he is in!
Montresor, Beni. Little Red Riding Hood; intro. by Luciano Pavarotti. Doubleday, 1991. Gr. 2-4.
This is a visual retelling of the original tale written by Charles Perrault. The unique illustrations are dark, scary, and surrealistic.
Roberts, Lynn. Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn; illus. by David Roberts. Abrams, 2005. Ages 6-9.
This retelling is set in the late 18 th century, and Little Red is a young boy named Thomas assigned to deliver ginger ale and treats to his ailing grandmother. The combination of eerie illustrations, comic elements, and a plot twist at its conclusion will delight the reader.
Steig, Jeanne. A Handful of Beans: Six Fairy Tales; illus. by William Steig. Michael di Capua Books, 1998.
The rhythmic text and cartoon-style illustrations in this slim volume give a fresh look at “Little Red Riding Hood”, as well as five other classic fairy tales "Rumplestiltskin," "The Frog Prince," "Hansel and Gretel," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "Beauty and the Beast."
Windling, Ellen and Terri. Swan Sister: Fairy Tales Retold. Simon & Schuster, 2002. Gr. 6-9.
This collection of 13 fairy tale retellings includes two different versions of the Red Riding Hood tale, “Little Red and the Big Bad” and “Lupe”.
Young, Ed. Lon Po Po. Philomel, 1989. All ages.
This Caldecott medal winner depicts three girls left at home as their mother pays a visit to grandmother. Lon Po Po, the Granny wolf, attempts to trick the sisters, but the eldest sister is prepared for the wolf’s cunning.
