Little Red Riding Hood

by Brothers Grimm, Min-Ho Choi (Illustrator)

Overview

Illustrator Daniel Egnéus recreates the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale in this unique graphic edition. Evoking the sensuous, romantic, and stunningly creative imagery that captivated audiences of Twilight and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Egnéus’ arresting visual interpretation of the Red Riding Hood story will stir the imagination of every reader inspired by tales of magic and adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925186680
Publisher:	Big & Small
Publication date:	09/28/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Wilhelm Grimm and his brother Jacob are famous for their classical collection of folk songs and folktales, especially for Children’s and Household Tales, generally known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/06/2014
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.)

Publishers Weekly

"This lush production is a companion to Schenker’s earlier Hansel and Gretel. . . . The suspense created by the shadowed, partial views of what is to come deepens the menace of innocence pursued by evil. . . . a remarkable example of the book as art." —Publishers Weekly starred review

"A fresh take on a timeless fairy tale . . . . This stunning edition of the favorite fable about a little girl in red on her journey through the woods makes brilliant use of laser die-cut paper and silhouette-like illustrations to enliven every page. Sybille Schenker’s evocative and exquisite illustrations bring a unique beauty and graphic excellence to this beloved favorite." —childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com

"Sybille Schenker’s evocative and exquisite illustrations bring a unique beauty and graphic excellence to this beloved favorite.You may have read 100 different Little Red Riding Hood books, but you’ve not seen one like this before . . . . a keepsake book to be treasured." —smartbooksforsmartkids.com

"An eloquent narrative, stunning artwork, and exquisite bookmaking grace the Grimm Brothers’s classic tale . . . . 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 Fleischacker, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

In revisiting the original Brothers Grimm fairytale, translator Anthea Bell introduces readers to the dark cunning of the wolf in the forest. Little Red Cap, well-loved and coddled, but also sternly reminded of her manners, takes off to the woods with no fear. Innocently she tells the wolf exactly where she is going and then takes his suggestion to wander off into the woods to pick flowers for grandmother…and the wolf races off to grandmother’s house. Little Red Cap is uneasy as she goes into grandmother’s house; something feels wrong, but, nonetheless, she walks right into the wolf’s snapping mouth and is swallowed down. Fortunately, the woodsman investigates the loud snoring from grandmother’s house and slits the wolf open to release Grandmother and Little Red Cap. Then he fills the wolf’s belly with heavy stones. All ends happily in this moral tale as the huntsman skins the wolf and takes the pelt, grandmother drinks her tea and eats her cake, and Little Red Cap resolves to stay on the straight and narrow path evermore. Sybille Schenker’s amazing cut-out overlays add a special touch to this elegant, but grim, picture book. Reviewer: Elisabeth Greenberg; Ages 3 to 8.

Children's Literature - Elisabeth Greenberg

★ 02/01/2015
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

School Library Journal

★ 2014-09-14
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)

Kirkus Reviews