If your child loves fairy tales, with a twist, these are classics
Little Red Writing
Author: Joan Holub
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 8
A brilliant book that takes the story of Little Red Riding Hood and turns it into an incredibly enjoyable language arts lesson. When the main character – a pencil – albeit in a red hood – begins to write a story, she has no idea what awaits her, including an overload of adjectives; a big, bad pencil sharpener; adverbs that save the day; and a very brave woodcutter, just to name a few. I hope this is the first in a series. It is terrific!
Awards: A Booklist Best Book of the Year; A Kirkus Best Book of the Year; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
The Cat, The Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, The Wolf, and Grandma
Author: Diane and Christyan Fox
Illustrator: Diane and Christyan Fox
Publisher: Scholastic Press, an Imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Remember Little Red Riding Hood? Well, probably not like this. ☺ The Cat, The Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, The Wolf, and Grandma retells this story through one literal cat, trying to share this classic fairy tale, and one very confused dog, desperate for something much more exciting. The result: One extremely funny book that will keep your kids laughing long after “The End.” Let’s hope these characters end up narrating all the fairy tales!
The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf
Author: Mark Teague
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Publisher: Orchard Books
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
Mark Teague’s The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf provides a little twist on an old favorite. What I love is that children know it well enough to participate in the “huffing and puffing,” but are still surprised when the Wolf turns out to be not so bad after all. A great read aloud.
Awards: 2013 Parents Choice Award (Spring) – Picture Book (Silver Medal Winner)