Little Red Riding Hood

by Andrea Wisnewski

Overview

The story of Little Red Riding Hood reset in rural New England of the early nineteenth century.

Into the forbidding but beautiful New England winter steps a resourceful farm girl in her scarlet cloak, bound with her basket of presents for her ailing grandmother. Told in a folksy cadence, the tale ends happily, as Little Red’s father comes to the rescue (sharp-eyed children will notice a calico cat helped, too!).

Loving detail fills each illustration in this unique version. Andrea Wisnewski based her interiors, architecture, and costumes on models found at Old Sturbridge Village, the living-history museum in western Massachusetts. The images, full of period detail, are done in a medium Wisnewski has made her own: black-and-white prints made from intricate papercut designs (the results look much like woodcuts) that are then hand painted in gloriously vivid watercolor.

This is a beautiful, totally original, reimagining of the German fairytale classic and, yes, Little Red does survive the ravenous wolf—moist but intact. A wonderful version of the classic tale, perfect as a read-aloud, a picture book to share.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781567925890
Publisher:	David R. Godine, Publisher
Publication date:	06/30/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Andrea Wisnewski is a designer, printmaker, author, and illustrator who works in a distinctive paper-cut print style. Among her best-loved books are Little Old Farm Folk and Trio: The Tale of a Three-legged Cat—chosen as one of the Best Children’s Picture Books of the Year by Kirkus Reviews in 2017.

Editorial Reviews

Wisnewski (A Cottage Garden Alphabet) retells the familiar story, adorning it with graceful illustrations that emulate woodcuts, washed with saturated watercolors, and brimming with details. In her retelling, she recasts the nearby woodsman as Little Red Riding Hood's father and, arriving at Grandmother's, the heroine recognizes the wolf straightaway and uses the familiar questions regarding the odd physiognomy to buy time. Other details strike familiar tones: Grandmother is swallowed whole ("It had been a slim winter"), and the girl's father, after "carefully slitting open the wolf's stomach," stares gravely into the belly of the flayed but bloodless creature. (Flowered bed curtains spare his daughter—and readers—any implied gore.) Unfortunately, the narrative suffers from several overlong sentences (e.g., " 'Thank you, wolf,' she said and started down the path not noticing that as soon as she turned her back the wolf slid back into the trees and took yet one more of his shortest short cuts through the woods"). Children will enjoy studying the detailed artwork, from Grandmother's pets (a tabby hides under the bed while a ginger cat flees) to cozy interiors modeled on Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts (according to an author's note). The bookmaking's lovely, too: lupine footprints trot across the front cover (beneath the book jacket), and red gingham endpapers conjure both the cloth protecting Little Red's basket and Grandmother's cheery tablecloth. Ages 7-up. (Jan.)

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3
A handsomely illustrated version of a folktale favorite. Wisnewski's retelling is straightforward and the language has a comfortable, folksy cadence. The tale ends happily, as Little Red Riding Hood's father comes to the rescue, vanquishes the wolf, and extracts Grandmother from its stomach, "shocked and shaken, but none the worse for wear." The illustrations-black-and-white prints made from cut-paper designs and then painted in watercolors-have the depth and texture of woodcuts. An author's note sets the tale in Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum in Massachusetts, and the artwork reflects details of life in early-19th-century rural New England. While the characters' faces tend to be a bit wooden, their clothing and other fabrics, the exteriors and interiors of the houses, and the snow-covered woods are all vividly and gracefully rendered. The endpapers' red-and-white checkered pattern is repeated on the napkin covering the basket of goodies and the tablecloth in Grandmother's kitchen, and bright red winterberries provide a colorful balance to the child's "bright as a berry" cloak. Visual details abound, and observant youngsters will notice that a calico cat plays a heroic role in the story. An eye-catching addition to folk and fairytale shelves.
—Joy FleishhackerCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

This favorite fairytale has enticed many an illustrator. From Paul Galdone's standard-setter to Trina Schart Hyman's Caldecott winner to James Marshall's comical depiction to Beni Montressor's sensual version, the little girl in the red hood who escapes the wolf has had an array of faces. These handsome stylized illustrations look like woodcuts but are black-and-white prints made from intricate papercut designs and hand colored with watercolors. Wisnewski sets her retelling in 19th-century New England and used the costumes and interiors at Sturbridge Village (a living-history museum in Massachusetts) as models. Strong, carved-like lines imbue the flora, fauna, fur and fabrics with texture, and the framed text is incorporated into the scenes. This story has two variations: Little Red rides on the wolf's back to the path to Grandmother's house, and her father, not the woodsman stranger, comes to her rescue. One puzzling detail is a black shape on the people's cheeks, almost like an earmuff with fringe but only on one side; it's clearly not hair, so what exactly is it? Children will ask. Overall, however, an elegant addition to the cache of existing editions. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Andrea Wisnewski’s Little Red Riding Hood

“Wisnewski brings to life, in vivid watercolors, a tale now set in rural New England in the early 19th century, the interiors and architecture and costumes found on models from Old Sturbridge Village’s living-history museum. Loving detail cloaks the woods, the home, the family, while retaining Grimm’s classic tale.”—Maine Today

“A handsomely illustrated version of a folktale favorite. Wisnewski’s retelling is straightforward and the language has a comfortable, folksy cadence. The tale ends happily, as Little Red Riding Hood’s father comes to the rescue. Visual details abound, all vividly and gracefully rendered, and observant youngsters will notice that a calico cat plays a heroic role in the story. An eye-catching addition to folk and fairytale shelves.”—School Library Journal

“Wisnewski retells the familiar story, adorning it with graceful illustrations that emulate woodcuts, washed with saturated watercolors, and brimming with details. Children will enjoy studying the detailed artwork.”—Publishers Weekly

“Children will want to step into inviting artwork full of flowers and fruit from the orchard and help collect eggs or pick lavender and put it in a basket. The pictures, which look like woodcuts, are actually hand-colored paper cuts.”—Booklist

“The rich colors and thick flowing lines are technically accomplished and lovely. The book’s design suits the content: it is simple and elegant.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher