Cover Image: The Little Red Wolf

The Little Red Wolf

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is one of the most enchanting children's books I've come across in quite awhile. The illustrations are breathtaking and the story is a completely original and very unique take on Little Red Riding Hood. With each page, I kept wishing I had full lithographs to hang on my walls, the graphics were that beautiful. And the ending/story took me completely by surprise. It is a bit dark for more sensitive young children but this is a book I would greatly enjoy sharing with my children. And it is a book that is sophisticated enough for adults.

Little Red, a pup always known for his red cape, has been tasked with taking some rabbits he caught in the last hunt to feed his weak grandmother deeper in the forest. But he gets distracted along the way and soon finds himself lost. When a human girl comes to help him, he's eager for the assistance. But things are not always as they appear and both Little Red and the human girl are about to learn that stories change depending on who is doing the telling.

Yes, this is very loosely based off the fairy tale by Charles Perrault. But the story is completely different and actually creates a new fairy tale legend. Author Fléchais cleverly takes the bones of the tale and reworks them, this time having the wolf be the hero and the human girl the villain. There is still a valuable lesson to be learned, as with all good fairly tales. But the combination of a unique story with the incredible matching artwork make this a cut above most books of this type.

The illustration work is full color, full page, and just packed with all kinds of wonder. It is highly stylized as well, creating a very distinct feel but very much in a fairy tale vein. The text is beautifully interwoven through the artwork - really this is masterful work. The cover doesn't even begin to show how beautiful the artwork is on the inside.

As noted in the introduction to this review, it is a bit dark in that we have a wolf carrying rabbit carcasses and he will eat them piece by piece at one point. As well, we have a story of what sounds like cruelty to the humans. an implied death of a human mother, but turns around into something much differen by the end. But death is a subject here in a very European way - a commonplace event. It's worth noting for parents of more sensitive children but the artwork is in no way graphic or gory in that regards.

In all, this is highly recommended - one of the most beautiful, and yet unique and distinct, stories I've read in quite awhile. This is a wondrous new fairy tale for the modern age. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Was this review helpful?

This is an incredibly gorgeous book that weaves an incredibly original tale from the well known little red riding hood. I would highly recommend this to children and adults alike!

Was this review helpful?

A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood that is as whimsical as it is tragic.

I loved the illustrations and the new take on an old classic.

Was this review helpful?

A stunningly illustrated version of red riding hood, but with the human and wolf roles reversed. Thought provoking version that makes us humans think about how we see the rest of nature.

Was this review helpful?

The illustrations are beautiful and the little fox is adorable! The story is cute but may be too much for some kids.

Was this review helpful?