Red Riding Hood's Sister

by Sarah Webb

Error leads to error in Red Riding Hood's Sister , as a girl in love finds her marriage has turned violent. The poems in this collection use myth and fairy tale, dream, the fantastic mixed with the everyday, to tell the story of a girl not so different from anyone else who finds herself in a desperate situation. Buckling under emotional abuse and in danger, she struggles to save a relationship that has good in it as well as trauma. Eventually she springs the trap, finds her way out. Why does she ignore the warning signs? why does she stay? what does it take to leave and to heal? The poet draws on her own life as she makes sense of abusive marriage. As she tells the story she learns to see her young self in a kinder light--braver than she had thought, deeper than she had thought, on a journey that led through a dark forest. "Hear me, hear me," she whispers to the girl. "I am only beginning to understand."

Genres: Poetry

108 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2018

About the author

Sarah Webb is an award-winning children’s writer. Her books include Blazing a Trail: Irish Women who Changed the World (illustrated by Lauren O’Neill) and A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea: Favourite Rhymes from an Irish Childhood (illustrated by Steve McCarthy), both winners of Irish Book Awards.

Sarah also runs creative writing clubs for children and teens, reviews children’s books for the Irish Independent, and programmes children’s and family events for book festivals and MoLI (Museum of Literature Ireland). She also works part-time in a children’s bookshop.

Sarah is passionate about bringing children and books together and was awarded the Children’s Books Ireland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Books in Ireland.
Her latest book, The Little Beekeeper of Henrietta Street (illustrated by Rachel Corcoran) was published in 2021.

www.sarahwebb.ie
Twitter: @sarahwebbishere
Instagram: @sarahwebbwriter

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compelling journey through domestic violence into healing. The use of the red riding hood story brings more power to the narrative. I recommend all of Sarah Webb's work.

[Denman G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book of poetry. Extremely dark in parts but not gruesomely violent. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the arcs of violence and healing.

[Dee Esquivel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving story of finding strength to change a girls life. Thank you for sharing such a personal story. The path we choose in life has many rocks in our way. How we get over/around those obstacles gives way to a better journey. The girl took a very painful moment in her young life, and struggled to get free. She did, and has given us the inspiration to learn from her.