Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This lush production is a companion to Schenker's earlier Hansel and Gretel, though it has a slightly different look. Here, Schenker uses die-cuts to add depth and complexity to her black, hand-cut silhouette portraits. Japanese touches, including traditional stencil patterns and binding, give the book a lightness that offsets its dark subject matter. Despite the title, Bell's fine adaptation uses "Little Red Cap" throughout the text. Little Red Cap appears on plum-colored board whose cutouts suggest the tendrils and leaves of the deep forest. The wolf's profile is visible through the tangle, but only just. When the page is lifted, Little Red Cap is seen setting off down the path as the wolf looms after her. Delicate, threadlike trees beyond them draw the eye on. More die-cuts provide glimpses through the window of the grandmother's house, through the lacy curtains around her bed, and, at the climax, into the gaping maw of the wolf. The suspense created by the shadowed, partial views of what is to come deepens the menace of innocence pursued by evil. It's a remarkable example of the book as art. Ages 5-7. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-An eloquent narrative, stunning artwork, and exquisite bookmaking grace the Grimm Brothers' classic tale. Set against bold-hued backdrops, Schenker's characters are defined by thick black lines, color blocks, and elegant patterns. Throughout, intricate die-cut folios utilize finely wrought detail and color contrasts to enhance the images before and after the page is turned. For example, Little Red Cap's first meeting with the wolf is presented on a burgundy backdrop, the characters viewed through-and softened by-the trunks of die-cut burgundy trees; the next spread employs the same die-cut page but shifts the color scheme to reveal a starker-seeming forest fashioned from white with black-ink touches and a much-more ominous tone. Other die-cuts evoke sunbeams dancing through daintily latticed leaves as the girl gathers flowers, the delicate lace of the curtains obscuring Grandmother's bed (and the toothy imposter hidden within), and the ultimate "All the better to eat you with" moment (a large-size black silhouette of the wolf's gaping jaws) is affecting but not overwhelming. VERDICT The clever way that visual effects are used and reused-shifting and redefining mood and meaning-provides an understated yet cinematic reading experience. A lovely addition to fairy and folktale collections.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2015. 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
The gothic cutout lettering and the hand-sewn binding signal that this is a special retelling of the familiar story. In Bell's excellent translation, the girl is called Little Red Cap; Schenker uses intricate die-cut pages to reveal the action and heavy black contour lines that are reminiscent of woodcuts. This gorgeous (but delicate and expensive) volume will intrigue sophisticated readers, young and old. (c) Copyright 2015. 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
As she did with Hansel and Gretel (2013), Schenker employs intricate die cuts, patterned prints, bold lines and basic colors to create a haunting journey through the familiar Grimms tale. Opposite the first page of text, Little Red Riding Hood poses in her cape against a thicket of die-cut vines, through which readers can discern a sun-dappled forest and the ominous black silhouette of a wolf. With the turn of the page, readers see on the recto the little girl's back as she proceeds into the wood and the Wolf about to emerge from the trees; on verso, her promise to obey her mother is printed within the shape of her image from the previous page. As Little Red Riding Hood proceeds through the wood, subsequent, die-cut pages continue to lift and turn, creating a layered dimensionality. The sleeping grandmother can be glimpsed through the window of her cottage; as the page turns, she is revealed in her bed, while the wolf's menacing face can be seen through that same window from the interior. The "All the better to eat you with!" moment is suitably terrifying: Cuts in the black page evoke the snarling wolf by revealing the crimson page beneath, but the image is so stylized that it appears almost abstract, its impact emotional rather than graphic. Schenker's illustrations and design combine with Bell's graceful translation to take the breath away. (Picture book/fairy tale. 5-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
