The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood [Hardcover]

TOBY FORWARD (Author), Izhar Cohen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Little readers will love second-guessing this funny, fractured fairy tale that replays the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the poor maligned wolf's point of view.

No, please. Look at me.
Would I LIE to you?
It was the old woman who started it.

Everyone knows there are at least two sides to every story, and if you believe in the big-eared, sharp-toothed villain of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, there's a logical explanation for everything. As our antihero tells it, it all starts with the helpful wolf doing odd jobs for Grandma (are you sure you don't want to sit a little closer?). How was he to know that he spoiled Little Red would come along and ruin a good working relationship? Zooming in dramatically from strategic angles, the amusing illustrations offer visual clues that this is a story to be taken with a grain of salt - and a lot of giggling.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–The wolf's interpretation of what happened in the Little Red Riding Hood story tries too hard and misses the mark. He tells how he did odd jobs for Grandma and one day, as the woman was reaching into her wardrobe, she 'accidentally bumped her head and was knocked out cold. In a panic, he pushed her inside and donned her dress to fool the granddaughter who was knocking at the door. The text has several lapses in logic. In one situation, the girl says, What BIG ears you have, and the response is 'Oh, these old things,' I said, and changed the subject.' However, he didn't change the subject since the girl is the next to speak. Throughout the retelling, the wolf poses questions that are meant to exude innocence–Would I LIE to you? I did nothing wrong. Would I? Not everyone likes a wolf, do they? The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations reveal a shiny-faced young girl, a cozy-looking grandmother, and a scraggly gray wolf with sly yellow eyes. They offer interesting perspectives: bird's-eye views of the forest; looking into the wolf's eyes to see the reflection of a small red-coated girl; and a view of the child framed by the wolf's tooth-rimmed mouth. At story's end, the animal walks away with his shortened tail wrapped in a bloody bandage while telling readers that he's still available for hire. Stick with Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (Viking, 1989) for a humorous, and involving, story of fabricated guilelessness.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
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From the Publisher

Little readers will love second-guessing this funny, fractured fairy tale replaying the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the poor maligned wolf’s point of view. Zooming in dramatically from strategic angles, the amusing illustrations offer visual clues that this is a story to be taken with a grain of salt – and a lot of giggling.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763627852
• ISBN-13: 978-0763627850
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.4 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Foxes & Wolves

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Wolf's Point of View, April 8, 2011

By 

VReviews (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood (Hardcover)

There are now many a redux of the classic fairy tale of "Little Red Riding Hood", and a few, as in "What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood: The Wolf's Story", the wolf tells his side of the story giving the reader a new perspective, and invariably gets everyone making comparisons (Venn diagrams come to mind) to the original. So that in itself is a good thing for literacy instruction.

Illustrator Izhar Cohen uses many different angles to give depth to the story. At times you feel the wolf is standing right in front of you as he tells his side of the story, which brings immediacy to the tale. At other times, the reader looks down from a bird's eye-view perspective that enhances the action of the story. So the illustrations definitely bring a lot to the story. However, in Forward's version the dialogue seems almost too cute by half, and comes off rather forced.

Changing up the perspective on a classic story is a great way to get children involved and talking about books. Two excellent books that provide a clever twist and are sure to satisfy, are "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka, and "Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale" by Lisa Campbell Ernst.

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read for all ages., December 24, 2011

By 

Sherry - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book. It is fun for both adults and children. The illustrations are well done and you can see something different in the pictures each time you look! A fun read for adults and children.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My 3 yr old loves it, December 9, 2009

By 

Bradley Thomas "JohnQPublic" (Atlanta, Ga USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood (Hardcover)

The dichotomy from being from the wolf's perspective is really fun. I hope you like it as much as my little one does.