Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1^-2. "Don't talk to strangers," warns Little Red Riding Hood's mother. The book begins and ends with that overt message, but otherwise this is the elemental scary story of the innocent little girl; her grandmother; the wolf, "who had himself a very good meal"; and the kindly woodcutter who saves the day. With very simple words and clear artwork, this traditional version in the Viking Easy-to-Read series will show new readers the power of a story they'll never forget. They can then go on to enjoy all the new fractured versions that play with the classic and make us laugh and think. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1-This adaptation for beginning readers tells the story in a brisk, straightforward style. The simple, colorful illustrations, most of which are on double-page spreads, initially portray a red-hooded-sweatshirt-clad Little Red Riding Hood setting off with her goodies and her mother's admonishment not to talk to strangers. Naturally, she meets the wolf, who distracts her so that he can get to Grandma's first. He swallows Grandma whole, with only her stocking feet shown disappearing down his throat. After the traditional exchange of pleasantries, Little Red suffers the same unfortunate fate. A woodcutter is shown approaching the sleeping wolf, ax upraised. The next illustration depicts the beast's hindquarters stretched out on the floor, his two victims standing unharmed beside him. The child vows never to talk to strangers again. The vocabulary is appropriate for beginning readers. The lively illustrations and familiarity of the story should provide a successful reading experience.-Lisa Smith, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
New readers, many of whom may already know the outline of the story, will derive great satisfaction from being able to read this popular tale on their own. The well-known observations (what big ears you have) are here, and the brightly colored paintings have a fresh look with their bold sweeps of color and the quick, sketchy, contemporary quality of the well-known characters. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Ziefert and Bolam have collaborated on more felicitous projects than this clanky reworking of a familiar tale. This Easy-to-Read retelling is supposed to give fledgling readers a boost of confidence, with modest, repetitious vocabulary and short sentences, but the wording is clunky: ``I will be careful,'' says Little Red Riding Hood. ``I will not talk to strangers.'' The story can't survive such an artless distillation, in which the eating of Grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood is disconcertingly antiseptic. The potential pleasure of reading is sacrificed to pure mechanics, making basal readers look like poetry. (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
