Little Red Riding Hood

 Little Red Riding Hood, illustrated by Charles Robinson

Like many other fairy tales presented on this website, this one comes from The Big Book of Fairy Tales, published in London by Blackie & Son.

Charles Robinson created five line drawings and one full-page full-color illustration. We'll explore all of them with a short summary.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who always wore a red riding hood, so everybody started calling her Little Red Riding Hood. She lived with her mom and she had a granny in the woods.

When granny fare ill, Red Riding Hood's mom prepared a full basket of food and drink and sent the girl to her granny. She would definitely need some food and drink to improve her health condition.

The girl was also told not to talk to strangers, stray from the path, and so on.

This decorative capital letter portrays Red Riding Hood's grandmother. It was she who gave her the red hood, which can carry a lot of symbolical power but sometimes a hood is just a hood. Even if it's red.

Did you know that red is the color of life but also the color of sin?

As we probably already know, the girl met a wolf in the woods. It was not an ordinary wolf because he could talk. Not just talk, he was a real sweet talker. He asked where is she going and she explained about her ill granny.

Then he wanted to know where the old lady lived and showed the girl how she could take a shortcut and pick some flowers on her way.

Bringing a bouquet of flowers to granny would definitely make her happy and improve her chances of recovering, right?

As we probably already know, the girl met a wolf in the woods. It was not an ordinary wolf because he could talk. Not just talk, he was a real sweet talker. He asked where is she going and she explained about her ill granny.

Then he wanted to know where the old lady lived and showed the girl how she could take a shortcut and pick some flowers on her way.

Bringing a bouquet of flowers to granny would definitely make her happy and improve her chances of recovering, right?

So Little Red Riding Hood took the path, shown by the wolf, the big bad wolf who had a completely different plan than helping her.

See, he could already attack the girl and eat her but decided to rather send her to grandmother's place by the longer route, so he could be at granny's first and eat the old lady before her granddaughter arrives.

Then he could eat the girl as dessert!

Why eat just once, if you are offered two meals at the same time?

There he is. The big bad wolf in a funny gown for grannies. Patiently waiting for his victim.

We all know what happens next. She enters. She is surprised. He eats her.

And that's all.

If you expected the hunter who rescued the grandmother and granddaughter you are reading the wrong version of the fairy tale. This one was written by Charles Perrault at the end of the 17th century and was still quite popular till the middle of the 20th century, competing with the version that is more known today.

Only later the version by the Brothers Grimm, published at the beginning of the 19th century, the version with the hunter, prevailed and is now the de facto standard for children who are about to meet Little Red Riding Hood for the first time.

If you prefer this one, with a happy ending (well, not for the wolf) and the party at the end, just visit the presentation of the picture book about Red Riding Hood, illustrated by Frances Brundage.