'Little Read Reading Hood' is an absolute dream come true.
A 'Red Riding Hood' retelling where our little red girl is a bookworm, her grandmother is substituted for a librarian, and the wolf - a stand-in for any bad person - becomes a better person by reading, too? See, kids: reading can make you smarter, nicer and more empathic.
The delight of a picture book is a colourful and explosive wonder for any bookworm, down to the littlest bibliophile in the making. As well as containing great messages, 'Little Red Reading Hood' is cleverly meta - the book that Red Reading Hood returns to the library in the wood is 'Little Red Riding Hood'. There is a story point to this.
I'm still giddy thinking how happy I am that this exists! There are ever so many ways that a fairy tale can be retold in any era. This modern 'Little Red Reading Hood' is feminist AF and celebrates paperbacks and hardbacks and libraries and stories and nature! No violence here, only charm and humour.
The rhyming is fun, too, and suits the adorable artwork beautifully. Another big plus? Red isn't so blind and stupid as to believe the wolf in librarian's clothing is her librarian right away.
'Stories can end any way that you please!'
'Whilst leaving footpaths should never be done,
Straying from stories is all sorts of fun!
'A beanstalk grew up from the crack in the floor,
"Come on!" Snow White shouted. "It's time to explore!"'
Read 'Little Red Reading Hood' to as many children as you can. The world will thank you later.
Final Score: 5/5
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