Little Red Hot

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Kimmel, Eric A. 2013. Little Red Hot. Ill. Laura Huliska-Beith. Las Vegas: Two Lions. ISBN 9781477816387.

PLOT SUMMARY

Little Red Hot is a Texas-style version of the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood.  Little Red Hot loves to eat hot peppers.  She eats them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  One day, Little Red Hot’s mama tells her that her grandmother is sick, and she asks her to go for a visit to check on her.  Little Red decides to bake a hot pepper pie to give her grandma that is so hot it bakes itself.  When Little Red sets off on her journey, she encounters Pecos Bill, who warns her that Señor Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, is nearby.   After meeting Little Red on her way to grandma’s, Señor Lobo runs ahead and gets to grandma’s house first.    With a slice of the hot pepper pie, Little Red plans to foil Señor Lobo’s plans just as grandma, Pecos Bill, and the cowboys arrive.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Little Red Hot is a fun and fast-paced adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood.  The main character, Little Red Hot, has established a reputation in her town for loving to eat the hottest red peppers that she can find.  She is a spunky, modern firecracker in contrast to the traditional portrayal of the meek and demure Little Red Riding Hood.   

When Little Red Hot learns her grandma is sick, she decides to head to the kitchen to make a hot pepper pie from scratch, assured in the knowledge that eating the pie will cure her grandmother.  In comparison, Little Red Riding Hood’s mother gives her a basket of food to take to the grandmother.   Little Red Riding Hood’s mother warns her to stay on the path to the grandmothers as opposed to Little Red’s mother who does not say anything after asking her to go on this errand.

When Little Red Hot sets out, she rides a pony across the Texas plains in comparison to Little Red Riding Hood who travels alone through a dangerous forest.  The cast of characters in this version diverges from the traditional tale when Little Red runs into the familiar literary tall tale character, Pecos Bill, and also the Three Tamales, a Texas-style spin-off of the Three Little Pigs.   In keeping with the Texas theme, instead of meeting Little Red Riding Hood's Big Bad Wolf, Pecos Bill warns Little Red about meeting Señor Lobo (“lobo” is Spanish for wolf). 

Following the classic plot structure, Little Red Hot poses a handful of statements similar to the original version when she sees the wolf disguised as her grandmother in the bed.  Although there are fewer statements than the definitive version, and Little Red’s uses a decidedly modern vernacular, they still possess the archetypal questioning statement and response formula.  This dialogue pattern provides the opportunity for the audience to participate in a choral reading:

“Grandma, what big eyes you got!”

“Grandma, what big ears you got!”

“Grandma, what big teeth you got!”

Just as Little Red makes her final statement, she reveals her cunning, and that she has no intention of falling into Señor Lobo’s trap.  She outwits Señor Lobo by shoving a piece of the hot pepper pie in his mouth before he has the chance to answer the third question.  Realizing the hot pepper pie is too hot to eat, Señor Lobo is foiled, and runs away.  Pecos Bill, the Three Tamales, and the grandmother arrive to rescue Little Red Hot only to find that she has taken care of the problem with Señor Lobo herself.   This is a modern resolution to this beloved tale as compared to the more traditional versions where the wolf eats the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, requiring others to save them, and then restore them miraculously unharmed.   

The illustrations in this story are full of vibrant colors and characters with expressive facial features.  The strong, bold colors used throughout help to portray the fast-paced movement of the story.  There is a beautiful palette of rich colors used throughout that are contrasted with a variety of shades of neutral tans, sage greens, and golds meant to represent the Texas landscape.  Throughout the story, there are several pages that contain illustrations that travel across both pages, inviting the reader into the story.  The end pages of the book are a solid color which is the same rich, persimmon color that is used in Little Red Hot’s clothing in the story.  From a fiery main character to the use of vivid colors, this is a fun adaptation of a classic tale.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

From Booklist: “Veteran folklorist Kimmel makes this story his own-the cadence and the imagery would be just right for storytelling even without the pictures.”

From School Library Journal: “A fun fractured fairy tale.”

CONNECTIONS

Collect other fractured fairytale versions of Little Red Riding Hood to read such as:

• Ernst, Lisa Campbell. Little Red Riding Hood - A Newfangled Prairie Tale.  ISBN 9780689821912
• Speed, Tricia Shaskan. Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!: The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf (The Other Side of the Story). ISBN 9781404870468
• Schwartz, Corey Rosen. Ninja Red Riding Hood. ISBN 9780399163548

•      Collect other fairytale versions of Little Red Riding Hood to read such as:

• Galdone, Paul. Little Red Riding Hood (Folk Tale Classics).  ISBN 9780547668550
• Hyman, Trisha Schart. Little Red Riding Hood. ISBN 9780823404704
• Marshall, James. Red Riding Hood. ISBN 9780140546934

Collect other fractured fairytale books from Eric Kimmel to read such as:

• Jack and the Giant Barbecue. ISBN 9780761461289
• The Three Little Tamales. ISBN 9780761455196
• The Runaway Tortilla. ISBN 9781890817183

For a curated theme display, place this book with other fractured fairytale themed books from Eric Kimmel on a bookshelf or table.  Similarly, place this book with other fairytale versions of Little Red Riding Hood on a bookshelf or table to encourage readers to compare and contrast the different versions of the original fairytale.

Use in conjunction with Safe Side Adult and Stranger Danger lessons.