Where Are You Going Ketchup Cap, Darling Red Riding Wolf
Written: Sep 21 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Seriously silly retelling of Red Riding Hood, Anti-bully message
Cons: The one-liners might provide fuel for some, but the ending should discourage them
The Bottom Line: Retelling fairy tales today encourages creative writing opportunities but this one is more than a fairy tale, it is funny.
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| pestyside's Full Review: Laurence Anholt - Little Red Riding Wolf |
A seriously silly bad girl and a hopelessly happy sweet wolf flip this fractured tale around to create a humorously wicked book. Just when you think you’ve heard all of the versions of Little Red Riding Hood, this fractured version from Laurence Anholt and Arthur Robins knocks your hats. Enjoy Little Red Riding Wolf.
There is a Big Bad girl in the forest and she has an equally bad attitude. She doesn’t like her dad, nor does she appreciate his job, and since she is a big bad bully every animal in the forest fears her.
"The Big Bad Girl tripped little deer. She stole fir cones from baby squirrels and threw them at the poor little hedgehogs. The woodland birds didn’t dare to sing when the Big Bad Girl was around. But the person the Big Bad Girl liked to tease most of all was a charming little wolf cub who often passed by on his way to visit his dear old granny wolf."
Dad made hats, all kinds of hats, and he was a gentle, very giving individual. Unfortunately his rotten tempered daughter was about as rude as a daughter could be and she would scold him, tell him he needed a better job, perhaps as a woodcutter, and had the nerve to tell him his hats were ugly.
"This hat is THE PITS! I would rather wear your old underpants on my head. You have as much fashion sense as a dung beetle!" Leaving him weeping she once again went out into the woods to terrorize some poor animal and unfortunately for someone all she found was the saccharinely sweet Little Wolfie who happened to be skippety-skipping through the woods.
Little Wolfie was persuaded to accept the hat after listening to Bad Girl’s lie, it was made by Granny and she was just the messenger. Wolfie was so excited he decided to change his name—Little Red Riding Wolf. As the original story goes the big bad wolf found his way to Grannie’s bed to possibly gobble up Red Riding Hood. This Bad Girl was so upset about Wolfie’s attitude that she also ran to Grannie’s bed to meet the cheerful little wolf. Fortunately Grannie wasn’t there but out chopping wood. Know that Grannie did return and was huge, with great big yellow eyes, big sharp teeth, lots of drool and an incredibly big ax. Somewhere along the way the Big Bad Girl changes her tune, her attitude, and proves to be a very fast runner for someone with short, big bad legs.
Laurence Anholt wrote this story along with a collection of many other Seriously Silly Stories that retell fairy tales with a somewhat twisted sense of humor, one that appeals to 3rd through 5th grade readers. My wonderful librarian friend introduced me to them and for that I’m grateful to her. I’ve laughed a lot reading these truly silly books. Anyone who considers fairy tales too juvenile or babyish will reconsider their thoughts once they see how skillfully this author transforms familiar tales. Arthur Robins illustrates this with simple ink/line drawings, but the simplicity enhances the comedy. This is not the first of the Seriously Silly Stories that I’ve read, and I can assure you it won’t be the last. My librarian friend’s third grade daughter loves these and at one time demanded that I read at least this one.
Anholt specializes in one-liners guaranteed to tickle the fancy of struggling readers as well as accomplished readers. Comments like ”holy hopping hedgehog dropping!” and “Holy Antelope Underwear”, “Bone Cruncher”, or here comes “Creepy-Cutesy-Custard-Cub” will leave readers guffawing, however, by the end of the book they might be reconsidering ever using those or similar phrases.
Many readers will enjoy the twist that transforms the bully girl. Once upon a time the Big Bad Girl thought being mean and rude was funny, but her naughty tricks caught up with her. Even Little Wolfie seemed to enjoy a last laugh as he lived happily ever after. The book is a quick read. Arthur Robins’ black-on-white illustrations are comical and they fill most of the page. Readers will want to look close, there’s often a lot of fun found within each page.
This book is my fifth contribution to the Fight Illiteracy W/O. Join Cindy's and Dramastef's Fight Illiteracy W/O! I challenge others to see who can submit the most reviews and contribute the most books! What a great idea!
Recommended:
Yes
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