Rabbit Ears Book Blog: Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #8: Little Red Riding Hood

Friday, September 11, 2015

Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #8: Little Red Riding Hood

Hey there! Welcome to "Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays," a new feature on my blog where I discuss about some fairy tales and folktales I have read throughout the years.

Little Red Riding Hood

Type: Fairy Tale

Country of Origin: Germany / Brothers Grimm

Main Character Hero or Heroine: Heroine

Recommend?: Yes!

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Red Riding Hood who wore a red hooded cape everywhere she goes. One day, her mother told her that her grandmother was very ill and that Red Riding Hood should go to her grandmother's house to deliver some goodies to make her grandmother feel better again. So, Red Riding Hood went into the woods when she suddenly meets up with a sly wolf, who asked her where she was going to in the woods. Red Riding Hood told the wolf that she was going to her grandmother's house and the wolf then tells Red that her grandmother would like to have some flowers, so he sends Red off the path to pick up some flowers. The Wolf then quickly ran to the grandmother's house and when he got inside, he ate up the grandmother and changed into the grandmother's clothes in order to trick Red Riding Hood once she arrives. When Red Riding Hood finally arrived at her grandmother's house, she didn't noticed that the wolf was in disguise until she asked him these questions:

"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear you with, my dear!"

"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see you with, my dear!"

"Grandmother, what big teeth you have!"

"ALL THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH, MY DEAR!"

I used to read this story all the time when I was little and I have always enjoyed it! I thought that this story was very memorable and disturbing at the same time! I loved the fact that this story dealt with the danger of meeting strangers and not being cautious enough to figure out if they are dangerous or not. I also found this story to be pretty gruesome for a children's story (although the original fairy tale was meant to be gruesome), especially during the scene where the wolf ate up Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother!

1. Is this a good story to discuss about the dangers of meeting up with strangers?

Yes, I think that this story is good at discussing about the dangers of meeting up with strangers and what could happen to you if you meet up with a stranger who means you great harm.

2. Have you read the original story?

If I remembered correctly, the original story had Red Riding Hood get into bed with the wolf and not be rescued by the Huntsman at the end. I've actually read a book that had that setting and I will say that I'm actually glad that they had a more sanitized version of this tale in later years.

3. What changes would you like to make to the story?

I think it would be pretty interesting to see Red Riding Hood become a martial artist and beat up the wolf herself since it would show a much stronger female protagonist, even if she was a child.