Kindergarten-Grade 2 This outlined, watercolored Red may be wheelchair bound, but she has the will and perseverance of the Tortoise to defeat her own Hare, a Wolf in a track suit. Like the Little Engine, she believes she can and, with the coveted apple pie steaming in her lap during the race, she manages to overpower her athletic but dumb adversary. Unfortunately, this disingenuous blending of fairy tale and fable merely comes across as an inept sermonette on the power of positive thinking. While there is an unfortunate dearth of picture books featuring differently abled children, this rah-rah attempt (an enthusiastic Grandma and skeptical Rabbit cheer Red on to victory as she crosses the finish line), full of childish drawings, is more patronizing than inspirational. John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A modern spoof of an old fairy tale, This Red Riding Hood has mobility and speed advantages: she uses a wheelchair.
Red Riding Hood Races the Big Bad Wolf is geared to reading levels 3-7, but it's funny and hip and few adults would be able to read it to a child without chuckling to themselves." -- Dana Jackson, Detroit Feee Press, Septenber 27, 1999.
"A wonderful book that delights it's readers with a more humorous approach to the ever increasing knowledge that success is developed even at a young age and stems from a person's ability to utilize that which has been made available to her along with the desire to reach far beyond those set of boundries." Ablity Magazine
This modern day twist on the old cassic is wonderfully written and mirrors our editorial philosophy, " a disability does not define the individual - rather it is but one of the many unique characteristics the person embodies" Vicky Lansen, Assistent Publisher, Enable Magazine
This Clever rewrite of a classic, conveys lessons in hard work, when determination and a positive attitude are rewarded, and is a delightful addition to our inclusion classroom libraries." Susan Noel, GSP Reading Specialist, Gilbert Arizona
"Children with special needs can easily identify with this spin off of a familiar tale. The story also fosters a better understanding for young readers who are not faced with physical or emotional inhibitions. There should be more books like this for physically challenged children." Michelle VanGuilder, Elementary Teacher -- Publisher Comments
"Red Riding Hood Races the Big Bad Wolf presents an old story with a new twist. Author Richard Paul has taken the classic tale of Red Riding Hood and changed it into an educational, ability awareness story with a positive messege. In the story , Red Riding Hood views hers wheelchair as an advantage over the Big Bad Wolf, and by so doing, she proves that handicapped children can truly be handi-capable." -- Karen Heinz, Richmond Parents Monthly, October 1999.
"Red Riding Hood Races the Big Bad Wolf," likely the first Grimm's fairy tale recast in a disability mold. -- Joshua Harris Prager, The Walled Street Journal, September 27, 1999.
"Updating the classic to reflect modern sensibilities has been somewhat of a growth industry during the past three decades, the results including jive-talking scarecrows, feminist Cinderellas, and Capulet and Montague street gangs.
Some of these modern versions retain the essence of the original story others use the classic tale as a framework for something entirely new. This story by motivational speaker and ventriloquist Richard Paul falls into the latter category.
The only resemblance between Paul's version and the well-known European folk tale is that both feature a red-capped little girl, a wolf and a grandmother. In Paul's story, Red Riding Hood, who uses a wheelchair, is shooting baskets in the driveway when her mother, clad in jeans and a tank top, asks her to take an apple pie to Grandma's house. On the way, she encounters the wolf, who is sporting running shoes and sunglasses, and challenges him to a race for the pie. As a result of losing the race, the wolf must clean Grandma's house for a year and begins his service while Grandma, Red and her friend Jack Rabbit enjoy lemonade and microwave-heated pie in the backyard pool.
Paul dispenses with the multi-level symbolism of the folk tale in favor of a single themed self-esteem/morality lesson, namely that a child in a wheelchair can accomplish whatever she sets out to do if only she believes in herself and gets confident support from her friends and family. While that lesson may appear to be directed at children with special needs, the book also works with able-bodied children. Parents and educators will likely find this book a useful tool in encouraging positive thinking for special needs children and their peers." -- Sharon Flesher, Fore Word, April 1999.
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