Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn [Hardcover]

Lynn Roberts (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

In the spirit of Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story, Lynn and David Roberts give the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood a new, fun historical twist.

Little Red is happily taking a basket of ginger ale to his grandmother when he stops to gather apples in the woods. Who should grab his red cape, but none other than the wily wolf, who runs immediately to the grandmother's house to devour her and wait for Little Red to be next! With a new, happily-ever-after spin on the story, the boy tricks the wolf into gulping down the entire ginger ale at once, which triggers the wolf to hiccup his grandmother out of his belly. Little Red gallantly overcomes the wolf and is the hero of the day!

A charming variation of the classic fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red is set in Colonial America and is filled with imaginative illustrations and historical references.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–Thomas, aka Little Red, makes the mistake of taking off his red jacket while climbing a tree for some apples for his Grandma. A wolf shows up at Grandma's wearing the coat, and–well, you know the rest. The gentle twists on this tale maintain the menacing tone of the original (Grandma does get eaten, in a single gulp), while allowing the wolf to live at the end, content with the ginger ale that Little Red provides for him. This is the third folktale retelling that the Robertses have put their pen and brush to. Having set Cinderella (2001) in the 1930s, and Rapunzel (2003, both Abrams) in the 1970s, they've headed back in time to a Colonial setting, giving Little Red innkeeper parents and Grandma a powdered wig. The stylized pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations use small detail and dramatic perspective to heighten the spooky, Tim Burtonesque effect. Faces hidden in the forest and paneled walls and illustrative asides (famous paintings, a newspaper headline quoting Benjamin Franklin) build visual richness. The frightening, red forest scenes on the endpapers will be devilishly alluring to young readers who like just a little scare with their somewhat silly and comfortingly well-known tales. A very welcome addition to most folktale shelves.–Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Eerie humor characterizes this new version of an old tale, set in late-eighteenth-century America. The telling remains largely faithful to familiar versions, though this time Little Red is a boy, whose parents own an inn called Ye Olde Belch. Kids may giggle at the reference to burping, which offers a break from the somewhat scary pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, reminiscent of Dave McKean's in Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls (2003). Scenes in the forest are especially creepy: dark, gray-wash backgrounds are highlighted by the blood red of Little Red's coat; almost-hidden, contorted faces peer from tree trunks. The juxtaposition of scary and funny elements makes the wolf's eventual comeuppance (a huge belch he emits after chugging Grandma's Favorite Ginger Ale) a genuine source of comic relief. Although not for the fainthearted, this is a great choice for reading aloud to kids old enough to relish comedy of the spine-tingling sort. Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957833
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957831
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic with a twist, February 20, 2006

By 

NoseInBook (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn (Hardcover)

This is a great version of Little Red Riding Hood....particularly well-suited for boys. My two love it...the pictures are spooky enough to give them a scary thrill and the ending is kid-friendly enough to let them get to sleep after reading it. Highly recommend!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Red is hilarious!, July 20, 2006

By 

Louis Higgins "Louis Higgins" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn (Hardcover)

My daughter and her parents are crazy about Lynn Roberts. The stories are completely engaging. And the pictures are so interesting and fun that it is a pleasure to read them over and over again.

Little Red is hilarious! Roberts offers a cute and off-the-wall take on classic stories. And there is something fun for everyone in them.

5.0 out of 5 stars More books please!, August 13, 2011

By 

HDS - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn (Hardcover)

I wish there were more books for children like this. It's a wonderful twist on an old tale, and the illustrations take it to another level. You notice new wonderful details that add even more personality and charm every time you pick this book up. All 3 of the books done by this writer/illustrator team are a favorites in our home... from the young toddlers to us old folk...we just love them. Thanks for creating. More please.