Little Red Riding Hood

The story of Little Red Riding Hood reset in rural New England of the early nineteenth century. Into the forbidding but beautiful New England winter steps a resourceful farm girl in her scarlet cloak, bound with her basket of presents for her ailing grandmother. Told in a folksy cadence, the tale ends happily, as Little Red’s father comes to the rescue (sharp-eyed children will notice a calico cat helped, too!). Loving detail fills each illustration in this unique version. Andrea Wisnewski based her interiors, architecture, and costumes on models found at Old Sturbridge Village, the living-history museum in western Massachusetts. The images, full of period detail, are done in a medium Wisnewski has made her own: black-and-white prints made from intricate papercut designs (the results look much like woodcuts) that are then hand painted in gloriously vivid watercolor. This is a beautiful, totally original, reimagining of the German fairytale classic and, yes, Little Red does survive the ravenous wolf—moist but intact. A wonderful version of the classic tale, perfect as a read-aloud, a picture book to share.