Little Red's Riding 'Hood by Peter Stein

Little Red's Riding 'Hood by Peter Stein. Illustrated by Chris Gall. 32 p. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., February, 2015. 9780545609692. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

This isn't the first time that Red Riding Hood has been fractured; nor is it the first time that Red is a boy. Come to think of it, the automotive angle has been done before as well. In Neal Shusterman's second entry in his Dark Fusion series, Red was a sixteen-year-old boy who cruised his neighborhood is a red mustang and grandma has been kidnapped by a gang of werewolves. That is most decidedly YA fare.

Little Red's Riding 'Hood is much lighter - filled with automotive humor both visually and in the text. Not all the humor is successful but most is clever and fun. The characters are motor vehicles. Little Red is a zippy scooter. The wolf is a menacing monster truck and Granny is a pink golf cart. It's a zany retelling which remains fairly faithful to the "original." The illustrations are peppy. The palette is bright. Readers will enjoy looking for the visual jokes such as "Skid's Brake Repair."

This would be a fun addition to a fractured fairy tale unit.