Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten. Trisha Speed Shaskan (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten! is a fractured version of the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. It's from the Wolf's point of view, but I personally didn't sympathize with him much, since he still ate both Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. However, it was very enjoyable to read. It was creative, making the wolf "vegetarian" and in love with apples and the creativity stretched along the apple motif, with the wolf always comparing Little Red and her grandmother to apples (and they looked like them too!) Usually, I wouldn't like how they made the wolf a vegetarian and ended up eating meat in the end, but because he was comparing them to apples and everything he said had some semblance of apples, it was perfect. A twist on the traditional story of little red riding hood, this time it’s the wolf’s version of events. It is a good way of showing children there two sides to every story. It can be used alongside the original to allow the students to see the similarities and differences. Interesting book to read and the pictures are very colourful. In the book the wolf introduces himself as a vegetarian and Granny and Little Red are portrayed as boastful, vein and self-obsessed, because of this instead of the original ‘Granny, what big ears you have’ Little Red instead says things like ‘Granny, what perfect ears I have’. The original story is classic tale which most children will know and therefore I could imagine children having fun reading the wolf’s point of view. I would say the book is ideal for years 3 and 4 but could be useful in other year groups too. At the end of the book there is a ‘Think, about it’ section which contains tasks children could do in relation to the book. These tasks include comparing the two versions of the story, forming an opinion on which one is true and looking at how other fairy tales would change if they were written from another character’s point of view.
What do You think about Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten. Trisha Speed Shaskan (2012)?
This is a fun take on a classic. Trisha's language is hip and clever. Lovely illustrations to boot!
—Dane
I never liked Red Riding Hood anyway. She's a brat.
—SHANI
I kinda enjoyed it but overall didn't like it...
—nickyangie
Enjoyable and fresh take on Red Riding Hood.
—perfectmatch123
