Little Red Riding Hood
by the Brothers Grimm; retold by Trina Schart Hyman; illus. by the reteller
Primary    Holiday    32 pp.
9/23    9780823456437    $18.99

Hyman’s much-loved retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” (a 1984 Caldecott Honor Book), with its endearing, pigeon-toed protagonist, is here reissued for a new generation of readers, with a foreword by Jason Chin. Chin notes the vitality of the art and the empathy Hyman had for her characters—extending beyond the humans: “the wolf and the cats, the ferns and mushrooms, the basket and the wine bottle.” Lush, detailed illustrations present a bucolic setting of cozy, flower-filled cottages and sun-dappled woods; the wolf is variably smarmy and scary; and don’t miss a heroic black cat. The wonderfully decorative borders, which often contain segues to the next page-turn, are a highlight.

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.