Little Red Cap

Grimm, B. (1983). Little Red Cap. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company.

Brief Annotation: Little Red Cap is the name of a young girl who wore a pretty red cap. She was loved by everyone and was very close with her Grandmother. She is instructed by her mother to go and visit her Grandmother in the forest and bring her a cake and wine, since the old lady is weak and ill. On the way she runs into a wolf and foolishly tells the wolf where the Grandmother lives and then wanders around in the forest looking for flowers. The wolf runs to the Grandmothers house and gobbles her up! When Little Red Cap arrives she is shocked to see that her Grandmother looks very different and is also eaten by the wolf. A hunter comes along to save the day by cutting up the wolf with a pair of scissors, and Little Red Cap and her Grandmother both live to be able to enjoy the wine and cake.
Genre: Folktale
Grade Level: K-3 Grade
Readers who will like this: This is an older book with nice language and pretty pictures. It’s a fun story (a very common one of course) so readers will enjoy the slight variations, but also will love the Little Red Riding Hood story. Young readers will enjoy listening to the book; there are a few words in it that it may take a more advanced reader to be able to read it, especially out loud.
Response/Rating (1-4): 3, I enjoyed the book, but it was not my favorite variation. The language is a bit old fashion- We would not often think of little girls bringing wine to their Grandma’s in the forest as a practical thing now of days. The story is a classic though and still an enjoyable read. The pictures are nice as well, even though they are fairly simple.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: “What would you say to a wolf if you met him in a forest?”
Reading strategies connection: Contrast Charts (Yopp & Yopp, 2010, pg. 90). Comparing and Contrasting different books is a great way for students to analytically think about a story. I would like to read aloud different variations of the same story, such as Little Red Riding Hood. I would then have them make charts contrasting the differences between the stories. Then in a large group discussion go through all of the differences and chose which story they liked the best.