Learning from Picture Books – LITTLE RED by Bethan Woollvin

I really loved this - so succinct and clever in the way it plays with the traditional fairy tale. But be warned. It's a little dark, especially the ending!

Summary from the publisher:

Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf on her way through the woods to visit her sick grandmother. The wolf is hungry, and Red Riding Hood looks tasty, so he hatches a dastardly plan, gobbles up Grandma and lies in wait. So far, so familiar. But this Little Red Riding Hood is not easily fooled, and this big bad wolf better watch his back. In this defiant interpretation of the traditional tale, the cheeky, brave little girl seizes control of her own story (and the wolf gets rather more than he bargained for).

The perfect gift for fans of darker fairy tales, complete with tree-shaped cover flaps that make this a sumptuous sight to behold.

Little Red was written by and illustrated by Bethan Woollvin. It was published in 2016 by Two Hoots.

Opening:

“One day, Little Red Riding Hood’s mother called to her.”

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really loved this clever take on a classic story. With just the original characters and a simple text, the author has created a darkly humorous and very entertaining story. I loved the repetition of “Which might have scared some little girls. But not this little girl.” The careful use of colour (black, white and red) and size really enhances the darker moments in the text. The importance of the expressions shown in the character eyes reminded me of the “Hat” books by Jon Klassen. 

I’d study this one carefully to see how the text leaves room for the illustrations, and also how the text and illustrations leave room for reader interpretation.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

Although I really admired this one, I think it might be a bit scary for a couple of my younger kindergarteners. For slightly older kids, it would be great to contrast this book with the classic story and highlight Little Red’s more progressive and active role in dealing with the wolf.

Ages: 3 - 6

Grades: K - 3

Themes: fairy tales, fears, self-confidence

Activities:

Create puppets to represent the grandmother, wolf and Little Red and act out the story.

Draw a picture to show what Little Red’s plan might have looked like.

Why do you think the author left out the woodsman character from the original story? Discuss. 

Learning from Picture Books -- CREEPY CARROTS!

Here’s a story that’s a little bit spooky – in a fun way!

Summary from Amazon.com

 

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school.

He eats them going to Little League.
He eats them walking home.
Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they?

Creepy Carrots was written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown. It was published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2012.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really enjoyed this book! It has a nice balance of scary and funny, which I think is hard to achieve as a writer. I also loved how specific words and phrasing added details to the story, e.g. how the bunny “yanked” and “ripped” the carrots and “terrible, carroty breathing.”

The shades of gray in the illustrations really helped to create a spooky atmosphere for the story. I really admired the way light and shadow was used. The facial expressions on the carrots fit so well with the text.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

This book would be a good one for introducing a discussion about fears and fearful feelings.  The interesting illustration style, with shades of charcoal and a few bits of orange, would be interesting to talk about with students.

Illustrator Peter Brown talks about how he created the art work.

Themes: fears, rabbit, carrots

Ages: 3 – 6

Grades: preschool – grade 1

Follow-Up Activities:

• Make a list of “scary things”. Talk about what to do when you feel scared.
• Set up a centre where students can act out the story with small characters, paper or toy carrots, and blocks
• Talk about carrots and how they grow. Could your class grow their own carrots?
• Draw a picture or write about your favorite page in the story.
• Create some art using shades of grey or pencil drawing. Choose one colour to add to make something in your picture stand out.

To find more great picture books to read or to use in your classroom, visit author Susanna Leonard Hill's website for her theme-based summary of Perfect Picture Books posted by book-loving bloggers on Perfect Picture Book Friday.