Little Red Riding Hood, retold by Alison Jay

Scholastic 2013. ISBN 9781742760711.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Fairy tales. The story of Red Riding Hood is retold in this enticingly illustrated book from Scholastic. The usual theme is there, being met by a wolf which then ties Grandma up in the cupboard ready to eat Red Riding Hood when she arrives at Grandma's house. Most children will know the story and be able to predict what will happen along the way. A few changes from the original are included: the wolf does not eat Grandma, and his end is not as gruesome as others I have read. But it will entreat and delight the readers and listeners, some even discussing the differences between other versions.
The illustrations are a delight. With an old fashioned style, each picture is overlaid with cracking as if the paint is much older than it appears to be. The background village, the houses and their insides and are all drawn in a much earlier age, giving the impression of an age old story. And I loved the introduction of other fairy tales in the setting. Kids will eagerly find references to the Gingerbread House, the Gingerbread Man, Hansel and Gretel, the Woodsman, the Three Little Pigs and so one peppering the illustrations. Such fun.
Fran Knight