The Little Red Wolf

by Amélie Fléchais (Illustrator), Andrea Colvin (Editor), Jeremy Melloul (translator)

A young wolf, on a journey to bring his grandmother a rabbit, is charmed by the nice little girl who offers to help him... but nice is not the same as good.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Picture Books, Childrens, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Comics

80 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOW AVAILABLE!!



an easy five stars that wins in both story and artwork categories.

i got this through netgalley, so my photos have gone on that rough journey from computer screen to tiny camera and back to computer screen. i can only assume the physical book will be even more stunning, and i will soon be proven right about that because i am going to buy this the very moment it is available because GAH:



i want this woman to come to my apartment and paint murals on my walls.

this is an inverted little red riding hood story, with another layer of oomph on top of it that explains the bad blood between wolves and man.



between this and Beautiful Darkness and Panter*, my people sure do write some messed-up picture books. this one isn’t nearly as horrifying as Beautiful Darkness, but there’s something so wrong-feeling about a little cartoon wolf traipsing through the forest with a dead bunny head sticking out of his bindle, no matter how adorable.



and then once the munchies hit, well - walt disney never prepared kids for how nature actually works.



there’s also a really nice punch to the story, centered in the idea of perspective and how history looks different depending on where you’re standing, which is a pretty sophisticated lesson for the picture-book set.



i wish there had been maybe a page or two more to it - it feels a bit abrupt the way it is now. not jarring, just unfinished-feeling.

still, it’s pretty much perfect, and i can’t say enough about the art, whether she's in cute-mode



or more ominous-mode:



and i definitely want this to be part of my room mural. because that's still happening, right?



a top-notch picture book i can't wait to hold in my hands.


* okay, so the panter-guy is from belgium, not france, but since there's a shared border, language, and fried-potato legacy, he can share in this dubious honor as well.

***********************************************

this is incredible. real review to come, but this is DEFINITELY one i will be buying as soon as it is available.

come to my blog!

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this cute retelling of Little Red Riding Hood years ago in the original French, and I remember it made me laugh for how whimsical and adorable it was: a naïve wolf pup is sent by his mother to take a rabbit to his weak-toothed old grandma with a warning to not stray from the path and into the cabin of the cruel hunters living in the wood, which the wolf pup will naturally fail at, so when I saw the English translation was out, I couldn't resist revisiting it.

It stays cute, whimsical, and adorable, but somehow it reads a bit darker in English. Or perhaps it's that I'm older and more jaded now? In the original French, there was a bit of a feel that the innocence of le petit loup was the highlighted portion contrasting with the cruelty of les humains who skin wolves for their pelt; an emphasis that reminded me of that old discussion we once had here over how Little Red Riding Hood contributed to the overhunting and extinction of wolves in Europe. The message was that wolves aren't the bad guys, they hunt because they need to feed themselves and their pack, and that monstrosity was human-made. It's we who hunt species to extinction, after all, not the other way round.

The English translation hasn't lost that emphasis, but rereading this story in a different language makes it feel like the monstrous part is more emphasised, even more one-dimensional. The hunter hunts wolves not because he also needs to survive or to protect himself and his livestock but for their fur, without any indication that there's a need to make a living off of hunting as opposed to hunting for sport, and his daughter, the one that cages the little red wolf after luring him in with lies, is even worse: pure unadulterated animal cruelty. The wolf dad that plays the role of the huntsman that rescues Red Riding Hood and Granny is too good for these two.

Is this a bit too cutesy? Yes, it is, the wolves are overly whitewashed at the expense of their natural instincts: humans might be the bigger baddies, but wolves still are apex predators, let's not forget. Yet the message stands, and the call for a respectful attitude toward wolves stands too.

Incidentally, the amateur Grimmologist in me couldn't but notice that, for a French fable, Fléchais ignored the Perrault version for the Grimm one. Personally, I prefer the Perrault one because there's consequences and no happy, feel-good outcome. But it wouldn't have worked with the message this retelling is trying to convey.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love twists on familiar fairy tales and crave gorgeous artwork do I have good news for you! The Little Red Wolf from French artist and writer Amélie Fléchais will enrapture you with its dreamlike visuals and clever retelling of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood . Best of all, you get to dive into this darkly ethereal world with this little buddy:

I would die for this adorable wolf

Finding this tucked away in the shelves of a bookstore felt like finding some magical charm in a fairy tale the way each visual seems to cast a spell on the reader. Fléchais’ retelling manages to be both sweet and sinister as it reverses the roles of the wolf and girl from the familiar tale and shows humans as the evil lurking in the wilderness. While wolves still hunt, it is shown as a method of survival for their family whereas the story depicts how humans will hunt for sport or kill out of fear or as a display of power. We have our adorable and rather naive wolf pup on a mission to bring food to grandma and while the human girl met along the way seems nice and playful the wolf learns that humans can be deceitful…

While the story initially seems almost saccharine, it swiftly shifts to the sinister and has quite the shocking and powerful ending. The prose is sparse, with only a few lines per page like a picture book (translated from the French by Jeremy Melloul), but while the story is fun and fascinating the real shining star here is the artwork that fills each page.

Fléchais’ art is so utterly enchanting, being both whimsical and surreal as it captures a lush and wild forests and haunting, snowy landscapes. The colors are gorgeous and the art reminds me a lot of Cartoon Saloon’s beautiful style. The hunter in particular looks as if he could be from Song of the Sea and all of the designs in this whole book are so intricate and jaw-droppingly lovely.


I particularly enjoyed how the art style shifts to match the narration, such as a more basic style when a story within the story is being told:


If I haven’t gotten it across yet let me reiterate: THE ART IS SO GOOD.


So do yourself a massive favor and check out The Little Red Wolf. Its a fun retelling with a twist and also so wonderful to look at. The story goes some strange places (this is likely not intended for real young kids, use your discretion) and charmed me the whole way through. Did I mention the art is great?

4.5/5

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the full review @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/...

I found this book on Edelweiss and became instantly intrigued. I love fairy tale retellings and the beautiful cover and title were all I needed. I was lucky to get approved for it, then after reading the ebook I went straight to Amazon and bought a copy. 

This is similar to Little Red Riding Hood, but the roles are switched. The story follows a little wolf pup in a red coat who's heading to Grandma's to deliver a rabbit. Grandma's lost her teeth and can no longer hunt. Before Little Red Wolf sets out on his journey, his mother warns him.

"Be careful to avoid the forest of dead wood where the hunter and his daughter live. They are vile and cruel and hate wolves! I don't want anything bad to happen to you, so make sure to stay away from there!"

Little Red Wolf is carefree and sings along his journey. As he walks he finds interesting things like a little beetle, a little mouse, and a cloud of pollen. He strays from the trail and becomes lost. At first, he isn't scared and tells himself,

"I am a wolf, the forest is my home, I'm sure I can find my way on my own, even without the dumb trail!"

What will Little Red Wolf do? Will he find his way to grandmother's house and what other encounters will he experience?

I absolutely loved this book. It reminds me of Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful atmospheric artwork. The messages conveyed here are strong ones--never judge without knowing the truth, and never trust someone based on how they look. I think this is a stunningly beautiful book that will help children learn both of these lessons. People of any age will enjoy this twisted tale, especially those who love fairy tales and retellings. 

Thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to preview this book in exchange for a review. 

[Starjustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Little Red Wolf', a retelling of the famous Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, has a twist to it that places a young wolf in the red cape on a journey to his grandmothers house. He has very explicit instructions from his mom but, somehow, gets distracted and lost, leading him into unknown danger. A very intriguing children's book that keeps the reader involved from beginning to the thought- provoking end.
The illustrations throughout the book were amazing and assisted with the telling of the tale. I personally thought, being an adult myself, this book is for older children, or would be better for younger children if read with an adult.
I want to thank my daughter for recommending this book and for taking the time to discuss the storyline when I finished the book. 😉 💕

[Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: An interesting graphic novel that retells ‘Red Riding Hood’ from the point of view of the wolf. Different in plotline, but as dark as (or possibly darker than) the original. Quirky and deep.

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Story Synopsis:

A little wolf wears his beloved red cape and trots off across the forest to deliver some yummy dead rabbits to his grandma. His mother warns him not to stride away from the path, but kids being kids, the wolf goes meandering here and there and everywhere, until he finds himself lost. As he plops down on the forest floor crying his heart out, a sweet girl approaches him and offers to help him. But as we all know, the forest can’t be home to any sweet girl.

This graphic novel was originally published in French under the title ‘Le Petit Loup Rouge’ in 2014. This English translation by Jeremy Melloul comes out in October 2023.

‘Red Riding Hood’ has never been among my favourite fairy tales as I could never fathom how a girl misunderstood a wolf to be her grandmother. Thankfully, this modified version avoids that silly scene, providing a more sensible experience on the whole.

The little wolf is a typical youngster, agreeing to what his mother says and then doing his own thing. When his stomach started growling and he wondered about eating some parts of the yummy rabbit he was carrying to his grandma’s, his enthusiastic justifications alleviated the macabre feel of the scene. It was a weird yet funny experience.

I loved the angle taken in the second half, even though a couple of important scenes were rushed. It offers a great example of how deflection of blame works in clearing oneself of wrongdoing and shoving the onus onto someone else. The animal vs. human angle also comes out well through the plot, as does the tendency to judge others by looks.

Moreover, many people assume that fairy tales are happy stories, courtesy the abridged versions and adaptations that have flooded the market. (I am looking at you, Disney!) I love how this story retains the darkness of the original while still offering its young readers some solace at the end.

At the same time, I think this version sanitises the image of wolves a tad too much. They might be related to our beloved dogs, but they are predators as well, albeit not selfish ones as humans are. Making the wolves sound as adorable as their domesticated canine counterparts isn’t justifiable. Also, the wolf is a pack animal, so I didn’t agree with the depiction of the wolf family as a nuclear unit, on the lines of human families. The final rescue also should have surely involved the pack.

A note at the beginning mentions that this book is loosely based on the tale ‘The Red Riding Hood’ by Charles Perrault. However, the ending of the Perrault version was much darker, and definitely disappointing to HEA lovers. This graphic adaptation provides a somewhat more satisfying, if sombre, ending. While the ending is easy to guess, it is still a great one as it drives home the point of the story without using too much moralising.

Though this is a fairy tale retelling, it is definitely not for younger children, especially sensitive littlies who might burst into tears at seeing a cute (dead) rabbit being chomped off in bits and pieces. But to the teen crowd and older readers, the retelling offers much to think about.

The illustrations are marvellous. They fall into two distinct colour tones. When the little wolf is in a safer position walking through the jungle, we have the bright greens and yellows of the forest popping out from the page. But when his journey turns dangerous, the colour palette becomes somewhat monochromatic, with all the colours muted except for red, thus serving to intensify the danger. I loved the artwork, even when it was too creepy. It was perfect for the story.

All in all, I enjoyed this graphic adaptation of the fairy tale to a great extent. Appropriately dark and filled with important themes, it offers a satiating experience to the eyes as well as to the mind.

4.25 stars. (I read this with my elder daughter. She gave it 4.5, I gave it a 4. Averaging the two ratings.)


My thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Little Red Wolf”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.




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[Shai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is like a spin-off of the famous classic children's story, Little Red Riding Hood. The two different version of the story through the accounts of the human hunter and the wolf is a great read. The latter is like a message to us about how human's preconception to wild animals like wolves or a specific breed of dog like pit-bull; how we should not be like the hunter who hastily judges or assume things without carefully inspecting things first.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most gorgeously illustrated books I've ever seen. Seriously. The pictures are stunning.

I also found the little wolf to be endearing. I mean, who hasn't gotten hungry in the forest and eaten the rabbit meant for grandma, amirite? Not to mention, he's absolutely adorable.

With that said, I have no idea who the audience for this book is supposed to be? It's obviously a picture book without many words, which makes it seem like it'd be for young children. The subject matter, however, is not particularly child-friendly at all. There are dead rabbits and a wolf eating one of the aforementioned rabbits piece by piece. There's also talk of humans “tearing little wolf pups apart with their bare hands.” And then there's this bit: “The little red wolf curled up inside the cage and screamed in terror. The hunter aimed his dreadful rifle at the little wolf.” 😟

Also, there's some pretty big words used (“verdant” comes to mind) that I'm pretty sure even my 10-year-old son doesn't know yet.

So is it a very dark book for children? Or is it a very simple book for adults? I have no idea.

The story itself (not considering its age-appropriateness) is cute and I enjoyed following the little wolf's adventures through the forest. It ended rather abruptly, however, without the little red wolf even completing his task. It kind of just left me wondering what the point was, other than perhaps to give small children nightmares?

Anyway, this book gets five stars for its artwork (amazing!) and two and a half stars for the story itself. So a final rating of 3.75 stars, I suppose?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love fairytale retellings and so this book immediately caught my eye on NetGalley. Its a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood but it focuses on a cute little wolf instead of Red. First of all, the artwork is absolutely stunning. In my opinion, everything about the art is perfection and I especially loved the colours that were used throughout. The story itself is very good, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this to both adults and kids and I would read more from Amélie Fléchais.

*I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fléchais' art is absolutely gorgeous. The story is interestingly cute-dark and feels richer than the bit we as reader are seeing, and the writing is fine. Although the book lists at 80+ pages there are only a few sentences per page, so it is a fast read, but you will probably spend a little extra time admiring the illustrations.

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[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This story is loosely based on "Little Red Riding Hood", only here we have a little wolf in a red cape as the main character. He is sent to bring food to his grandmother because she is old and cannot hunt for herself anymore. Then follows the story of a child being typically careless and not heeding advice, but also of selfishness and danger.

The ending had a very nice twist to it and made this story truly be about the monsters we think we see and the monsters we can become ourselves. And it's about appearances and being careful.

I think the main attraction here is the art. It's not 100% to my taste but it's kinda cute and I liked the details of the forest as well as the colour combination. It also has a good combination of round and sharp edges, highlighting certain elements.

A nice and modern twist on an old and very good fairytale, maybe making the story more accessible to some young readers nowadays and adding a current theme to it.

[Razan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairy tale retellings are always my favorite, especially if it a beautifully illustrated twisted take on the beloved Little Red Riding Hood , so this tiny book did not disappoint at all, with it's astonishing artwork , interesting plot that kept me thinking and entertained to the very last page, definitely will be picking up more books by Amélie Fléchais in the future .

received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure that I would call this a graphic novel so much as a morbidly adorable children's book! The Little Red Wolf is, as you may have guessed from the cover, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood - except, in this story, the little wolf is visiting his grandmother, when a wicked little girl tricks him!

This book was precious, and I loved the artwork so much. It was incredibly unique and would make a great "coffee table book" - you know, the sorts of books that are so pretty you just leave them out to look at them? (No? Just me? Hm...) I would totally buy a hard copy of this to read to my son as a bedtime story, honestly, because even though it does have a little morbidity to it, it isn't scary at all and I think most kids would really enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would really like to see a finished copy of the book. The illustrations are beautiful and imagine they will be even more so when I'm not looking at them on a computer screen.

The story is a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, but with a young wolf as the hero going to visit its grandmother and humans as the 'evil' waiting in the woods. There was the right amount of creepiness that makes a fairy tale appealing in non-Disney sort of way.

I have been meaning to write a review for this all weekend and I haven't been sure what to say about it except, I liked it. The art is great. Karen's review is better than mine. You should go read that if for some strange reason you have stumbled upon mine and never saw it. You can read about the little wolf book by clicking on that link. Plus she has some nice examples of the great illustrations.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot resist a retelling of any story from my childhood. Originally written in French, The Little Red Wolf is a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" Although a person might be inclined to buy it for their little ones, as a high school teacher I would love to use it as discussion with my students. Our little wolf is warned not to trust any humans that he might encounter in the woods and as we know all does not go well. Very reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault which I was basically raised on.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book hits stores in October!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable graphic-novel for the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood.
Gah, the artwork for this book is absolutely breathtaking!
And easy 3 stars for the art presented, although I wasn't all that drawn towards the story.

I did enjoy the twist on roles, where the "big, bad wolf" is the prey and the humans are the actual predators (quite similar to real life).

Easy read (only about 80 pages), finished in about 20 minutes (including time for admiration of the artwork).

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make a really lovely coffee table book. The Little Red Wolf reminds me of all the best coffee table books I read as a kid - it's just a little morbid, just a little subversive, and absolutely gorgeous. This tale wouldn't be out of place in Leigh Bardugo's The Language of Thorns.It's a really quick read, only taking me around fifteen minutes, but the subversive nature of the story and the gorgeous art really make it a worthwhile read.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A children's book retelling the Little Red Riding Hood story with the roles reversed. Like Grim's original fairy tale, this is a bit dark. The art is highly stylistic and won't be for everyone but I found it enjoyable.

Received a review copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lion Forge for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

Now, I have been reading fairy tale retellings for many years and I had read retellings of stories like “Cinderella,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” So, imagine my surprise and delight in seeing this new retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” from NetGalley called “The Little Red Wolf” by Amélie Fléchais and I just had to pick this book up! After I read this book, I have to say that this was one of the most creative and heartbreaking retellings of “Little Red Riding Hood” I had ever read!

What is this story about?

The story starts off with a family of wolves living in the roots of a tree and the smallest wolf in the family was called Little Red Wolf because he would wear a red cape all the time. One day, Little Red Wolf’s mother wanted him to take a nice plump rabbit to his grandmother, since his grandmother cannot hunt anymore due to her losing her teeth. But just before Little Red Wolf made his journey to his grandmother’s house, his mother warned him about a human hunter and his daughter and that he should stay away from them at all costs. As Little Red Wolf journeyed through the forest, he began to feel hungry and he started eating the rabbit that he was supposed to give to his grandmother piece by piece. When Little Red Wolf ate all of the rabbit, he began to cry since he was supposed to give that rabbit to his grandmother and he had no idea how he will get another rabbit to give to his grandmother. It was then that a little girl came up to Little Red Wolf and said that she could give him a rabbit if he followed her to her home.

Will this girl help Little Red Wolf get another rabbit for his grandmother or does she have some kind of malicious agenda for Little Red Wolf?

Read this book to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Amélie Fléchais’ writing: Wow! Just…wow! I never would have thought that I would ever read a “Little Red Riding Hood” retelling told from the wolf’s perspective (even though I had read a parody book of the “Three Little Pigs” told from the wolf’s perspective called “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”). Amélie Fléchais has done a fantastic job at retelling the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” story from the wolf’s point of view as the wolf presented here is shown as being more sympathetic than the hunter and the young girl compared to the original story and that is what made this such a unique and creative read for me! I like the fact that the wolf here is presented as a young cub who does not know about the dangers of being around a hunter and is actually innocent of any wrongdoing in this story (well, except for accidentally eating all of the rabbit he was supposed to give to his grandmother). I also loved the mysterious and intense atmosphere that Amélie Fléchais provided in this story as I was sitting on the edge of my seat trying to see if any horrible disaster will befall Little Red Wolf and how he would be able to handle himself (or who would help him out) if he got into such a scary and dangerous situation.

Amélie Fléchais’ artwork: Amélie Fléchais’ artwork is probably the highlight of this book as all the images are drawn in watercolor paintings, which makes the imagery so gorgeous to look at. I also loved the haunting feel that Amélie Fléchais shows in the artwork as the illustrations are mostly in dark colors and it gives the story a mysterious and eerie feel, especially during the scenes where Little Red Wolf gets lost in the forest. But, probably my most favorite image in this book was the image of Little Red Wolf himself as he is drawn in an extremely adorable manner as he has large puppy dog eyes and a small cute nose that really brings out his innocent and adorable nature.



What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like scary moments in graphic novels or novels in general, there are some intense scenes in this book that might scare younger readers, such as Little Red Wolf getting lost in the forest and the danger of possibly encountering the huntsman and his daughter.
Also, I felt that the ending was a bit too abrupt and I wished that more was explained about the revelation at the end, rather than just stopping the story as soon as the revelation was being made. All this just made me want to have a sequel to this story so that way, the ending would be made clearer to me than it is now and so that way we can have a more broader expansion on the characters themselves.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “The Little Red Wolf” is one retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” that you should definitely check out, especially if you enjoy hearing classic fairy tales being told from a different perspective! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the imagery might scare smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was dark and depressing. The young wolf is on his way to his grandmother's house to deliver a freshly slaughtered rabbit and is warned to stay away from a certain area of the forest because that's where the horrible hunter and his daughter live. On the way he gets distracted, hungry and lost. He eats the rabbit intended for his grandmother and then worries about getting into trouble.

Along comes a nice young girl who offers to take him to her place for a replacement rabbit and he naïvely follows, unknowingly walking into a trap. We end up hearing two versions of the same story at the end of the book, both told as songs to the same tune. In one version the wolves killed the hunter's wife. Therefore, wolves are evil and we must kill them all. In the other version the hunter's wife was friends with the wolves and when the hunter couldn't find his wife one night he got worried and searched for her. Seeing her with the wolves he was afraid and shot at the wolves, accidentally killing his wife.

While some of the illustrations are intricate and gorgeous, others are dark and would most likely give young children nightmares if this was their bedtime story. I know that generally the fairy tales we've known all our lives didn't originate with the Disney version we're used to but that doesn't mean I want to read them to a young child. I can see this book being appreciated by some older children and adults but I personally wouldn't want to buy it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you very much to NetGalley, Lion Forge and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

[Melissa Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

5 stars!!!

This has got to be the most gorgeous little book ever. I loved this retelling of the classic tale of "Little Red Riding Hood" with a unique twist. I think it would be loved by children and adults alike. The story drives home a strong message of not judging a book by its cover and not trusting everything you hear which is a great moral lesson for children to learn about. The writing style was beautiful and I absolutely adored the atmospheric illustrations. The author, Amélie Fléchais, does a flawless job of portraying this story with gorgeous imagery. While the blending of prose and poetry helped create a magical almost lyrical feel. I was captivated from the start and looked forward to the adventure of "The Little Red Wolf". This graphic novel was a true treat and a definite favourite of mine. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Alina · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors and Lion Forge in exchange for an honest review.

Quite confunsed about this.. If you would have to guess based on the graphics, you would say it's a children's book, as it is kind of crude, but also beautiful, intricate, dreamy, and fairytale-like. But I wouldn't read my children such a strange and sinister story, the more so as there is no proper counsel for children, nor a real resolution, the ending being very abrupt.

Illustrations: ★★★★+
Story: ★ ★ ★+ (adult wise), ★ (as a children bedtime story)
Ending: ★

I would say this is meant to be a magical realism, but it's not really my cup of coffee.. I tended to rate it higher because of the illustrations, but trusting the general feeling after reading it, I'll stick with a lower rating.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love fairytales and retellings with a twist you would be missing out to not grab this book. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the story is so beautifully written. There are twists and surprises with a fantastic adventure to jump into. I can't wait to buy several copies as gifts!

This story isn't about a little girl traveling to her grandmother's house but rather a cute little wolf with a red hooded-cape. There is a little girl but she's rather devious! I'd love to tell more but.. no spoilers!

Warning: scary scenes for little eyes. Make sure you pre-scan first before sharing with your little one.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are 5 star plus. Beautiful subtle colours, well designed pages, mystical woodland scenes, fairytale and Tove Jansson-like. A retelling of little red riding hood in reverse where a little wolf who looks a lot like our small dog takes the place of the girl visiting Grandma. I don't think many older children will want to read this with a line or two of text on each page but not really suitable for younger children. There are some graphic scenes of rabbits being killed, little wolf being imprisoned Hansel and Gretal style whilst wolf skins dry all around. The girl who tempts little wolf back, lost her mother and blames the wolves. You later see the events from the other point of view. It was a gloomy read although I loved looking at the detailed illustrations.

My 12 year old read this and commented 'that was funny, it looked like a childrens book! The fox was so small and magical, it was really gloomy but lovely illustrations'

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a really cute short story and the art was absolutely gorgeous. The little wolf was adorable and I like the idea of a version of Red Riding Hood where the wolves are the good guys. The only problem I had was that I think the ending is just a little bit too abrupt and could probably have benefited from adding maybe 10 or even 5 more pages. But it's still a really cute book that I would definitely recommend for younger children.

[madame Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

une autre version très très intéressante du conte à lire — autant pour les plus jeunes que pour les plus vieux ☺️

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading: August 3rd 2017


*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Lion Forge in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***



Every once in a while I start craving something completely different, and the best way to scratch that itch has always been picking up a graphic novel or picture book. I was having exactly that feeling not that long ago when I was browsing Netgalley, and my eyes went wide when I saw the cover of The Little Red Wolf. I immediately fell in love with the cover art and the promise of more lovely illustrations inside, so I hit that Read Now button so hard I almost broke my keyboard. I opened The Little Red Wolf not long after and I wasn't disappointed by what I found. Such gorgeous illustrations! This little story has actually been published in French in 2014 and is now translated to English so more of us can enjoy it. As the title already hints, The Little Red Wolf is a wonderful retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood and told from the POV of a little wolf cub. The adorable and highly detailed drawings will appeal to young readers and parents alike and will bring a joyful experience discovering all the little details on each page. A little warning though, because this story is both whimsical and tragical at the same time and more sensitive children might not appreciate especially the second part of this picture book. I would personally recommend it for the age of six and up because of that. The Little Red Wolf has a mix of pages with just illustrations and others with more text, but I liked the balance between the two and the pages without text can be used perfectly to interact with young children. The moral of the story is a strong one as well: to show that things can easily be misinterpreted with terrible consequences... Hence the darker and tragic part of the story and a little warning to evaluate beforehand if your child could be affected negatively by that. That said, I personally absolutely loved this little picture book and its wonderful illustrations. Just what I needed!



A young wolf is sent to his grandmother to bring her a fresh rabbit. His mother has warned him to stay on the path and keep safe from the hunters, but the little wolf is distracted by the wonderful things in the forest. He soon finds himself lost, and then a nice girl appears who offers him help. But is she really as nice as she appears?



Just give one look at that cover and you will get a pretty good idea of what is waiting for you inside. The illustrations of The Little Red Wolf are absolutely gorgeous and will make you happy by just looking at them. They are very detailed as well; full of little drawings inside drawings to discover the longer you look at each page. The story itself is a mix of typical fairy tale and something a bit more darker and haunting, which is why I don't think it's suited for the youngest readers... But age 6 and up should be ok depending on how sensitive the child is to tragic themes.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This inversion of Little Red Riding Hood, has a little wolf setting off into the forest with a bundle filled with a dead rabbit for his grandmother. Despite a warning from his mother to avoid the hunter and his daughter who live in the wood, Little Red Wolf can't resist following the charismatic little blonde girl he meets when he is lost and scared. The ending is a bit abrupt, but the art and tone is mesmerizing throughout.

Dark and macabre, I find it hard to believe this fairy tale is intended for children. My daughter would have been traumatized if she read it in elementary school, she says, but she might have enjoyed it in middle school.

[Kira Simion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the story (it still didn't work on my iPhone, but it's still a great story). Merci pour le roman.

Oooo!
(Je suis désolée que je n'avais pas écrit en beaucoup de temps). :/ (Sorry for not writing in a while. :/)

J'apprécie cet livre parce que le roman est mignon and les images sont belles! ^^

Un retelling (je ne sais pas le mot en français) pour toute le monde. :)

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the lovely cover and the adorable little wolf cub. This story is a bit deeper that it may appear at first glance.

The artwork caught my eye first, and it's marvelous. Both relatively simple, but also lush and imaginative, with enough detail to delight young imaginations.

The text on the pages is reasonably short, as one would expect in a picture book, but well crafted. The reader truly feels for the young cub's plight as he tries to make his way to his grandmother's house.

The ending is an unexpected twist, but a satisfying one. And one that encourages thought and consideration of differing perspectives.

As a very young person I was tender-hearted regarding animals, and one thing that would have bothered me with this story is the fact that the poor dead rabbit meant for Grandmother's meal is pictured with his cute bunny face still intact.

This isn't a sanitized-to-remove-all-unpleasantness type original fairy-tale, but neither is it as dark as the old originals could be. It walks the border between those choices well, I think. Giving it a satisfying depth, although it will be too dark for some children (see below).

For Parents: This book is a bit darker than some children in the target audience will be able to handle. First is the issue with the dead rabbit, drawn throughout the story and adorable but quite dead. It then goes on to say, and show, the cub eating various parts of the bunny. The feet, the head, until it's just bones left. Then the wolf cub is captured by the hunter's daughter and locked up in a cage. It's clear she means for him to be killed. That the her father kills wolves. There are wolf skins around their cabin that understandably upset the cub. However the wolf cub is rescued, the hunter and his daughter are tied up. So, not harmed. At the end it's explained that although the hunter hated wolves because he said a wolf had killed his wife it turns out his wife had been friendly with the wolves. The hunter had misunderstood this and fired at them, thinking his wife was in danger, and he shot his wife instead.

* I was provided a free, expiring copy from Netgalley*