When I saw this book cover and the description, I was expecting a fractured fairytale picture book along the lines of Jon Scieszka’s “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”. That is not the case at all. This book with its beautiful artwork seems to be aimed at an older reader.

The little wolf pup is off to bring goodies to his grandmother, but his mom warns him to be weary of evil humans. The story mirrors the original with the roles reversed. But, just like the original folktales from centuries ago, this story turns quite dark. The main story is basic, the humans are going to kill the wolf pup, but he is saved by his father. It is the story within the story that is very strange. The hunter’s daughter tells the pup a strange tale of a woman who had no soul that sets up house in the woods and is killed by animals. This story explains her hate for wolves. When the wolf pup is saved, his father tells him quite a different version of this story. The reader is left to wonder the truth of what truly happened? Parents will want to discuss what makes someone good or bad and is violence ever justified? Triggers that may upset readers include, dead bunnies, kidnapping, guns, grief for a parent and on page death.

The artwork is stunning, and the story does give the reader a lot to think about and discuss. I would recommend this book for middle school and above.

I would like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book for review.

Thank you Oni Press & NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own.

The illustrations are what makes this book an absolute gem, you have to take time going through each page, looking at every small detail because it is full of them, with watercolour gouache effects forest scenes are brought to life with whimsical touches, i personally loved the artworks in the initial pages with all the details of flora and fauna in the forest like bird, fireflies, rats, the many different leaves, the architecture of the wolves's house is so good.

As for the story it is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with some twists and being told from the perspective of the wolf, it has a morbid and dark tone and is perhaps not appropriate for little kids.
This should be seen more like a picture book with a little dark story within than the story being the main focus.

This is a beautifully illustrated retelling of little red riding hood. It captures the storybook theme and has beautifully detailed scenes of the forest and the little red wolfs surroundings from his original trip to his grandmothers to when he gets lost.
A short but sweet tale of how every story has two sides.
I loved it and if you like fairytale retellings this will be perfect for you!

Thank you net galley for allowing me to be an arc reader!

This is an interesting twist on Little Red Riding Hood, this time the protagonist is a cute wolf with a red coat.
The art is very good, and the page composition is very clever. I would recommend this to any kid who likes animals (a lot of children have a wolf phase, those are the main target).
A charming and cute story.

ARC provided by NetGalley & Oni Press.
Release Date: October 17th, 2023

Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a loved one, grief, on page death scene


Cottage core lovers, RUN, don't walk! This graphic novel is so stunning and such a beautiful way of retelling Little Red Riding Hood. Far too often I feel like we constantly get retellings from the human perspective and never a twist by showing the wolf's perspective. So this was a unique way of doing something different especially due to this being from the perspective of a wolf pup and not a full grown wolf. I also loved how the author told the story of the guardsman and the beautiful woman. Though it's a sad story, I think it's so lovely that the wife had such a strong love for the forest and the wolves who lived there. And the artwork is absolutely gorgeous! It has almost a watercolor look to it and I just thought is was so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It just really made the story come to life for me. The only thing I will say that could be a negative for this book is the writing style. The words are prints in almost a cursive writing style and for anyone who may have struggles with reading print that similar to cursive or have a reading disability, it could potentially cause reading hardships just due to how it's written. I will say, I think the writing print compliments the aesthetic of the book, though. Overall, this was such a fast paced read that has lovely artwork to compliment the story. I think if you love retellings and you enjoy graphic novels, then you should definitely give this one a chance!



All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.

4.3 Stars

This is a reverse retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, where wolves are afraid of humans. Little wolf’s mommy tells him to not trust humans or stray from his path, but when did kids start listening to their parents? So what happens next? Who will save Little Red Wolf?
The story is short, compact, and well-presented. It uses the original and gives it a fresh twist. The ending is too good and says all one needs to know without sounding preachy. It does seem abrupt and without a happy conclusion, but anything else would have ruined what the book wanted to say. Of course, kiddos may need some nudging to help them connect the dots. The book sure would make a great choice for discussions.
The text is easy to read and appears on the illustrations. While pages have only a couple of short lines, some have more content. Either way, the entire book shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to read. I like that the wolf’s diet is not vegetarianized (wolves are carnivores and eat other animals in the forest).
The book also has a few lessons for kiddos – don’t trust strangers, someone looking nice doesn’t mean they are nice, truth has two sides (yours and theirs), the flaws in human emotions and thought, the inability to see beyond what one knows, etc. As I said, loads to discuss in this one.
The illustrations are wonderful! I absolutely love them. The color scheme goes from dark to light to dark, depending on the content. The expressions on the little girl’s face contradict her cute looks and hint at what’s to come. I’m not sure if a couple of illustrations might be a bit too scary for kids, but I absolutely love them as an adult. I could read this book multiple times just for the artwork. (Not everyone may like it, though).

To summarize, The Little Red Wolf is a dark little picture book with a creative retelling. Remember that this is not the Disney version of fairytales and doesn’t intend to be. It might be better if adults read it with their kids.
Thank you, NetGalley and Oni Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I adored this, truly a phenomenal piece!

Such a great take on the story of Little Red Riding Hood, it's twisted on its head but holds the same level of impact. I honestly feel this is better than the original, as we all know wolves aren't actually as scary as people believe.

A fantastic read, covers all the emotions! It's cute but scary, wholesome and heartbreaking. I loved this so much.

Oh, and the art? Was incredible! Absolutely gorgeous, the colour, the style, I adored this in it's entirety. Definitely recommend!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

A beautiful reimagining of the classic tale of the Little Red Riding Hood with unexpected twists (yes, several twists).
The illustration style is one of the most unique and stunning I've ever seen and so detailed I could linger over a page for minutes admiring all the small wonders.
This tale is a perfect mix of sweet and sad for me and the atmosphere of the story and illustrations are in perfect harmony.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing the ARC.

This is a rather complex reimagined fairy tale. When I first started reading it, I thought it was going to paint the wolf as the innocent ones, but then the story twists and turns a couple more times.

The book not only made me contemplate on what or who is evil and who is not, but also made me consider whether fears could ever be justifiable and/ or rational. And if they could never be either, then why do we let them drive our actions?

It is a very deep story. Words may be few in this story, but it is definitely more a book for UKS2.

The illustrations are whimsical and suit the genre well, enhancing a unique take on a well-known fairytale. However, the storyline ends abruptly and doesn't feel conclusive. The tone didn't seem to match with the illustrations well, and the change of perspective didn't seem to point to a larger purpose.

This is one of the most gorgeously illustrated books I've ever seen. Seriously. The pictures are stunning.

I also found the little wolf to be endearing. I mean, who hasn't gotten hungry in the forest and eaten the rabbit meant for grandma, amirite? Not to mention, he's absolutely adorable.

With that said, I have no idea who the audience for this book is supposed to be? It's obviously a picture book without many words, which makes it seem like it'd be for young children. The subject matter, however, is not particularly child-friendly at all. There are dead rabbits and a wolf eating one of the aforementioned rabbits piece by piece. There's also talk of humans “tearing little wolf pups apart with their bare hands.” And then there's this bit: “The little red wolf curled up inside the cage and screamed in terror. The hunter aimed his dreadful rifle at the little wolf.” 😟

Also, there's some pretty big words used (“verdant” comes to mind) that I'm pretty sure even my 10-year-old son doesn't know yet.

So is it a very dark book for children? Or is it a very simple book for adults? I have no idea.

The story itself (not considering its age-appropriateness) is cute and I enjoyed following the little wolf's adventures through the forest. It ended rather abruptly, however, without the little red wolf even completing his task. It kind of just left me wondering what the point was, other than perhaps to give small children nightmares?

Anyway, this book gets five stars for its artwork (amazing!) and two and a half stars for the story itself. So a final rating of 3.75 stars, I suppose?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

What an incredibly beautiful illustrated book! The art is magic and the story is right on time for spooky season. With just a few pages Amélie Fléchais manages to grip her readers hearts with this whimsical, heart-wrenching retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood". I've seldomly seen illustrations of such beauty and made with such love and feeling.
Not suited for little children.

Undoubtedly one of my new favourite graphic novels.


The little red wolf was a huge surprise for me - started as such a fluffy and adorable book, and after hearing about the wolves perception of how evil humans are and watching the little wolf develop a friendship with a hunters daughter, I expected that the message of the story would be about denying and looking past prejudice. A perfect beautiful tale for children about the power of human connection surpassing judgement.

Oh how wrong I was.

This book took such an unexpected turn turning out to be on the darker side with the illustrations becoming from gorgeous to breathtaking. I would say that this book is not for young kids, and place it in the 8+ category. A perfect book for older readers as well!

A dark and charming new spin on the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood! This was a gorgeous and absolutely enthralling read, the artwork is stunning and the story itself was fantastic. This was such a unique take on the original story that I would definitely recommend!

*Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*