Little Red Riding Hood Read online

  A NOTE ABOUT THE STORY

  The tale, “Little Red Riding Hood,” has appeared in many versions throughout history. As far back as the fourteenth century, a French oral variant depicted the wolf as a werewolf and Little Red Riding Hood as a smart little girl who escapes the wolf’s advances by using her wits. In 1697, the French writer Charles Perrault published a version, “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge,” in Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités (Stories or Tales of Past Times with Morals), in which he introduced the red hood and described Little Red Riding Hood as an “attractive, well-bred young lady” who later gets eaten by the wolf.

  My retelling is based on the Brother Grimms’ earliest version, Rotkäppchen, published in 1812 in Kinder--und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales), but, as in the Russian story that I heard as a child, I included two hunters instead of one. I omitted also the scene in which Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother place stones in the wolf’s stomach before he dies.

  I enjoyed illustrating and retelling the version you find here, as “Little Red Riding Hood” has always been one of my favorite tales.

  ―Gennady Spirin

  Text copyright © 2010 by The Brothers Grimm • Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Gennady Spirin All rights reserved Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591 www.marshallcavendish.us/kids

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING - IN - PUBLICATION DATA Spirin, Gennady. Little Red Riding Hood / adapted from The Brothers Grimm by Gennady Spirin. — 1st ed. p. cm. Summary: A little girl meets a hungry wolf in the forest while on her way to visit her grandmother. Includes a note about the history of the tale. ISBN 978-0-7614-5704-6 [1. Fairy tales. s2. Folklore—Germany.] I. Grimm, Wilhelm, 1786-1859. II. Grimm, Jacob, 1785-1863. III. Little Red Rid- ing Hood. English. IV. Title. PZ8.1.S76733Li 2010 398.20943'02—dc22 2009046643

  The illustrations are rendered in watercolor and colored pencil.

  Book design by Michael Nelson Editor: Margery Cuyler

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  For my grandson, Nikolai

  nce upon a time,

  there was a little girl

  who was loved by everyone.

  She wore a red hood that was a gift

  from her grandmother. The little girl

  liked it so much that she never took

  it off, and that’s why she became

  known as Little Red Riding Hood.

  One day, Little Red Riding Hood’s

  mother said to her, “Would you take

  this cake to your grandmother? She is

  sick in bed, and this food will make her

  feel better. Mind your manners and do

  not leave the path for any reason.”

  Little Red Riding Hood

  took the basket and set off.

  As she was walking through the woods,

  she met a large wolf.

  “Good morning,” said the wolf. “Where are

  you going so early in the day?”

  “To Grandmother’s house,” said Little Red

  Riding Hood. “She’s sick in bed, and my

  mother says the cake in the basket will make

  her feel better.”

  “Oh,” said the wolf. “And where does your

  grandmother live?”

  “She lives in a house under three big oak

  trees,” said Little Red Riding Hood.

  “I know just where that

  is,” said the wolf.

  The wolf walked along with

  Little Red Riding Hood for a

  while. Then he said, “Why don’t

  you stop and pick some flowers?”

  “I’ll pick a bouquet for my

  grandmother,” said Little Red

  Riding Hood.

  So she left the path to pick

  some flowers while the wolf said

  good-bye and went straight to her

  grandmother’s house.

  He knocked on the door.

  TAP! TAP! TAP!

  “Who’s there?” came an old, crackly voice.

  “Little Red Riding Hood,” said the wolf in a voice as

  sweet as honey.

  “Come right in,” said Grandmother. “I’m sick in bed.”

  The wolf opened the door and saw the grandmother

  lying against a big pillow.

  Before she could even blink, the Wolf jumped

  on her bed and gobbled her up!

  Then he put on one of her

  bed caps and pulled the covers

  up to his neck.

  Soon, along came Little Red

  Riding Hood.

  She knocked on the door.

  TAP! TAP! TAP!

  “Who’s there?”asked the wicked

  wolf in an old woman’s voice.

  “It’s Little Red Riding Hood,

  and I’ve brought you some cake

  from Mother.”

  “Come in,” called the wolf.

  Little Red Riding Hood

  opened the door, walked over

  to her grandmother’s bed, and

  climbed up.

  “Oh, Grandmother, what

  big hands you have!” said

  Little Red Riding Hood.

  “The better to hug you

  with,” said the wicked wolf.

  “Oh, Grandmother, what big ears you have,”

  said Little Red Riding Hood.

  “The better to hear you with,” said the

  wicked wolf.

  “Oh, Grandmother, what big eyes you have,”

  said Little Red Riding Hood.

  “The better to see you with,” said the

  wicked wolf.

  “Oh, Grandmother,” what big

  teeth you have,” said Little Red

  Riding Hood.

  “The better to eat you with!”

  said the wicked wolf.

  And with that, he leaped out

  of bed and swallowed Little Red

  Riding Hood in one, big gulp.

  Then he climbed back under

  the covers and fell fast asleep.

  Soon he was snoring.

  After awhile, two hunters passed by the house.

  “How the old lady snores,” said one. “Let’s see if she is all right.”

  They pushed open the door and saw the wolf lying in the

  grandmother’s bed.

  “A great big wolf!” shouted the hunters. The wolf woke up

  and jumped to the floor.

  The hunters lifted their guns to shoot him, but then they

  noticed the wolf’s fat stomach.

  “I bet that wicked wolf ate the old woman!” they yelled.

  “Let’s open up his stomach and see!”

  They chased the wolf outdoors, took one of

  their hunting knives, and cut open his stomach.

  Out jumped Little Red Riding Hood and her

  grandmother!

  “It was dark in there!” cried Little Red Riding

  Hood. “I was so frightened!” She grabbed her

  grandmother’s hand, and they ran back into the

  house as fast as they could go.

  “I feel so much better,” said Grandmother as

  she sat down in her favorite chair. Then she ate

  the cake that her granddaughter had brought her.

  Little Red Riding Hood climbed into her

  grandmother’s lap. “I will never leave the path

  again when my mother tells me not to,” she said,

  and she gave her grandmother a hug and a kiss.

 

 

  Gennady Spirin, Little Red Riding Hood

  T
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