Little Red Cowboy Hat

by Susan Lowell, Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

This whimsical take on Little Red Riding Hood brings new life to an old favorite.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fractured Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1997

About the author

Susan Lowell often writes about the Southwest border country in both fiction and nonfiction. Her forthcoming adult short-story collection, "Two Desperados,” returns to the genre of her first book, “Ganado Red.” Her family has lived in the American West since Gold Rush days, and family stories have inspired many children’s books as well as an adult novel in progress called “The Wild West Waltz” (see the story “Two Desperados” for a preview!)
She and her husband divide their time between Tucson, Arizona and a ranch near the Mexican border.

Reviews

[Lauma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the author dedicates this book "To all my favorite redheads." In this version of Little Red Riding Hood, Lowell characterizes "Little Red" as a plucky, red-haired western girl that learns, "A girl's gotta stick up for herself." The Grandma figure is also strong and capable and chases away the wolf on horseback, with a shotgun in her hand. Grandma closes the story with, "That yellow-bellied, snake-blooded, skunk-eyed, rancid son of a parallelogram!...This time he picked the wrong grandma."

This is a great southwestern version of the popular fairy tale with authentic cultural references to cowboys, canyons, cactus jelly, mesas, buzzards and rattlesnakes. Illustrated in hues of yellow and orange, the drawings are child-like in simplicity. The text offers many examples of onomatopoeia and would be a great read aloud for younger elementary students (grades K - 2) or an independent read for third grade and up.

[Petra Fuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red Cowboy Hat is a Southwestern version of the classic Little Red Riding. The story takes place in a ranch in the West. Little Red Cowboy Hat is sent by her mother to go see her grandma who is sick. She is taking her bread and a jar of cactus jelly. Her mother says to her, "Don't dillydally along the way" but Little Red stops to pick some flowers for her grandma. As she was picking the flowers she sees a wolf. The wolf looks mean and he wants her to take a ride with him. She gets on her pony and gets away from the mean looking wolf. When Little Red arrives to her grandma's house she soon realizes that it is the wolf pretending to be her grandma. Little Red is saved by her grandma who was out chopping wood. They chase the wolf away and Little Red Cowboy Hat and her grandma sit down to eat their bread and cactus jelly. The theme is that you should always listen to your mother.

The author uses descriptive words such as "POW" and "BAM". I would use this in my classroom to compare and contrast to the classic Little Red Riding Hood. I could also use this version to teach about different cultures. I would use this with k -3 students.








I found this title in LibraryThing.

[Melissa Goembel]

This story is set in the south west. It is changed in that red is riding a horse and wearing a cowboy hat. She also has a tough cowboy grandma.
In this lil red story, the girl is a cowgirl and her name are lil red cowboy hat. The girl is riding to grandmas on horse back and comes upon the wolf. The wolf beats her to grandmas and is in the house. The girl gets there, and cowboy grandma saves the day.

[Hannahstu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to review this because the other reviews don’t do it justice. I snagged a copy of this from the local thrift and it turned out to be signed by the author!! What a score. I initially fell in love with this book because the illustrations are so adorable and well done – reminds me of the time I spent out west for sure. After reading this book to my little one, I can now say it is my favorite children’s book hands-down! The story is simply fun to read, my husband and I love to give the wolf a creepy voice, and the storyline is an excellent take on little red riding hood. Highly recommend!!

[N_Allie l · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is yet another take of the infamous, Little Red Riding Hood folk tale. This version of the classic tale, (written by Susan Lowell) entitled Little Red Cowboy Hat, will make you feel as if you have been transported into the wild west. The child-like illustrations (created by Randy Cecil) will immediately draw you, and students alike, into the book.

This version starts out similarly to the traditional tale, (except the author has exchanged 'jelly' for 'cactus jelly'!) with Little Red Cowboy Hat setting off to visit her dear sick granny. On Little Red's journey to her grandmother's she is met by a mysterious sly wolf. After getting a "creepy feeling [run] up her backbone" Little Red hops on her horse and is off again to see her granny.

Once Little Red gets to her grandmother's house, she immediately realizes something is amiss; the wolf is sitting in grandmother's bed. True to the original, the wolf tries to eat poor Little Red when all of a sudden granny appears with an axe. Granny and Little Red then hop on their horses and chase the wolf through the desert. The reader must infer what happens to the wolf as it never fully states if the wolf lives.

I would use this book for second grade through 12th. This book is chalk-ful of onomatopoeias and clever one-liners that will make children and young adults laugh. You could clearly also use this book to show a different version of the classic tale. I enjoyed this book fully and would highly recommend it.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Susan Lowell and illustrator Randy Cecil join forces in this southwestern retelling of that classic fairy-tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Dispatched to visit her sick grandmother with some homemade bread and cactus jelly, Little Red—so named for her red hair and red cowboy hat—is warned by her mother to look out for snakes, but it's the wily lobo who poses the real danger. Escaping his clutches, Little Red makes it to her grandmother's house, only to find that the wolf is in her elderly relative's bed. Fortunately for our young heroine, her grandmother isn't the kind to be taken in (or eaten), and shotgun in hand she and Little Red chase off that varmint...

Published in 1997, Little Red Cowboy Hat is the third picture book featuring a traditional European fairy-tale transplanted to the American southwest that I have read from this author, following upon her Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella and The Bootmaker and the Elves . Apparently Lowell's family has lived in Arizona for many generations, thus accounting for her work being largely set in that region. In any case, like the author's other books, I enjoyed this one from a storytelling perspective, appreciating the humor and heart of the narrative, and the use of colorful dialect. I did wonder if a tale featuring a shotgun so prominently would be published today, but leaving that aside, my main critique here would be the artwork. I've read other picture books illustrated by Randy Cecil that I enjoyed, but something about the visuals here just didn't work for me. The bold colors felt appropriate for the setting, but the overall effect was too flat. Tastes vary of course, and some might find these illustrations fun, so I didn't deduct any stars. Recommended to picture book audiences who enjoy folk and fairy-tales with a southwestern flavor.

[McKenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction
Age: K - 2
Illustrations: I did not like the pictures they were very grainy, and made it hard to see what you were looking at.
Gist: This story is about a little girl who has a red cowboy hat, and she is sent out to give her grandma jelly and bread. Along the way she meets up with a wolf, she ends up getting away and making it to grandmas house. When she walks in she sees what looks like her grandmother in bed, but grandma looks different. She starts to ask question and figures out that it was not her grandma but the wolf. Her grandmother shows up and helps her get ride of the wolf.
Curriculum Connection: You can tie this to stranger danger
Warnings: Talking to stranger, the looks of cussing, guns, axes, and stereo types are present in this book.

[Jaden]

Traditional Literature

This was a different take on the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood. This time, it took place in the Wild West where everyone called her Little Red Cowboy Hat. She went to visit her grandma with some bread and cactus jelly. On her way she ran into the big bad wolf and when she got to her grandmas house he was in her bed. Just before the wolf ate Little Red, the grandma stormed in with an axe. The wolf ran but the grandma and Little Red chased him with her shotgun. They never had wolf problems again.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern (circa canyon country) and hilarious, featuring: granny grabbing a shotgun from the mantel, a horseback chase scene complete with a lasso, and Little Red learning that a gal's gotta stick up for herself. Art style is not exactly my taste but it's interesting and does fit the tone of the story pretty well. Did I mention how down right entertaining this book is?

[Savannah Domeyer]

This book is about Little Red Cowboy Hat. Little Red takes some jelly to her grandmother. On her way to her grandmother's house, she runs into the wolf. The wolf beats Little Red to the house and poses as her grandmother. Little Red soon noticed it was the wolf. Grandma then came in from chopping wood with an axe and hit the wolf. Little Red and Grandma then chased the wolf away.

[Kylee Champlin]

This rendition of Little Red Riding Hood follows a young girl and her journey inescaping a wolf with the help of her very headstrong grandmother. This would be great for showing variations of traditional literature books.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story! Girl power!

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

a new take on Little Red Riding Hood. Cute.

[Tara Dryml]

This is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood but in a "Southern/Country" remake. Grandma saves Little Red and herself by killing the wolf with her shotgun.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little Red Riding Hood retold as a western. Terrible illustrations.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fractured fairy tale-- take a look at the author note at the beginning.

[Chazlin Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute turn on the little red riding hood. A western/southwest twist. Cute illustrations and a fun story for young and older age readers

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, except, was Grandma sick in bed like mom said, or just fine, as she was found cutting wood? At least the rattlesnake survived. Who knows what happened to the wolf....

[Bryce Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the tale of little red riding hood if she was a cowboy and lived in the desert. This time grandma and little red don't need a man to save them.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary and Analysis:

Little Red Cowboy Hat is a book that would be appropriate for older readers to read independently or younger readers to read with support, as there is a large amount of text in this book and some of the vocabulary could be challenging for a younger reader. Little Red Cowboy Hat is set in the American Southwest and focuses on a young girl who becomes known as "Little Red Cowboy Hat" due to both her bright red hair and her affinity for a large red cowboy hat. Little Red is given the task of bringing homemade bread and a jar of cactus jelly to her ill grandmother. Along the way, appropriately enough, Little Red meets a wolf who hassles her and makes her feel uncomfortable. Although Little Red is able to escape the wolf on her trusty steed, she later encounters the wolf in her grandmother's house. This scene includes the lines of dialogue that this tale has become famous for. Finally, it is grandma that returns and saves the day.

As with many of the "Little Red Riding Hood" tale I selected this week, the authors of this particular tale chose to make major changes to the setting of the story. The author chose this setting because it is one that she was familiar with growing up on a cattle ranch in the Southwest - as she shares in the forward to the book. The details in the text and the illustrations are definitely in keeping with the setting - rattlesnakes, cacti, cactus jelly, horses, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, canyons, mesas where gold poppies and blue lupines bloom, buzzards, etc. The pictures are cartoon-ish but illustrated in warm shades of red, orange, and yellow. My only question is this - is having the wolf as a character in keeping with the American Southwest? Do wolves really live there? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to change the antagonist of this book to a coyote, for example?

Additionally, the protagonist, Little Red Cowboy Hat ("or Little Red for short") is a great deal more bold and independent than in the traditional versions of the tale. However, Little Red still falls into some of the common errors made by traditional Little Red Riding Hood protagonists, even though their parents/mother/father warn warn against them - gets distracted and doesn't go straight to grandma's house, talks to strangers (the wolf!) along the way. The truly strong character in this tale is the grandmother, which is slightly unusual. Right after the wolf reveals himself and lunges for Little Red, Grandma appears with an ax (as she was chopping wood in the yard). Instead of threatening the wolf with the ax ala the woodcutter - Grandma reaches for her shot gun and runs the wolf off the ranch on horseback, firing all the while.

Another small difference between this tale and other versions of Little Red Riding Hood is in when exactly, does the protagonist notice that it is the wolf and not grandma that they are speaking with in the climax of the story. I have noticed that the stronger and more independent the protagonist, the sooner she notices. In this version, Little Red still believes it to be the grandma once she hears her voice and comments on the big eyes. Little Red becomes aware that it is really the wolf in grandma's bed when she sees the muzzle and comments on the nose. The conversation continues until the sharp teeth comment and response. This surprised me, as I thought Little Red in this tale was a little more "with it", so to speak.

[Nicole Fiene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red Cowboy Hat is a fractured fairytale by Susan Lowell. It takes place in the Southwest and the story of Little Red who is delivering a loaf of bread and a jar of cactus jelly to her sick grandmother. Eventually, she encounters a wolf wearing a cowboy hat "three shades blacker than a locomotive”, and although he tries to eat Little Red for a snack, she gets away just in time and makes it to grandma's house where the wolf is waiting for her. Luckily for Little Red, her grandma is tough and chases the wolf out of her house. In the end, Little Red and her grandmother are able to enjoy some cactus jelly sandwiches.

I felt as though I enjoyed this fractured fairytale version of Little Red Riding Hood more than others I have read in the past. Because the tale takes place in the Southwest, where I have been raised, I felt as though I could relate to the story more because I could understand some of the language used such as "mesa" and "rattlesnake season". I also really enjoyed the way the author used unique, descriptive words throughout the story. Some of these descriptive words included: “clink-clunk-crunch” and “tut-tut-tut”. These words are fun for the younger readers as well as the old because they add a carefree touch to the tale.

Overall, although I did not relate much to the illustrations of this story, I still found delight from the text itself, which is why I rated this book with four stars out of five. However, because the text alone made the story enjoyable for me, I feel as though this is still an excellent book that would be great to share with others. It is an entertaining read, especially if you read it aloud to a class or group of children. As I previously stated, with the quirky phrases and descriptive language used, it is guaranteed that the reader and listeners alike will be laughing out loud as Little Red Cowboy Hat journeys to her grandmother’s house.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that this book was a delightful surprise. To me, the cover and illustrations are not that inviting. Knowing this was a Red Riding Story set in the Southwest, I expected it to be very predictable and stereotyped. However, it was a wonderful little story that has excellent figurative language and voice in the writing. At the very beginning, Red's hair is described as,"a fine color somewhere between firecrackers and new pennies." From there, as Red starts off on her horse to go to her grandmother's house, her ride into the canyon demonstrates one of the examples of onomatopoeia, "Clink-clunk-crunch went the pony's feet, striking sparks from the rocks." When trying to get students to paint a picture with their words, this story provides some excellent examples. Aside from the language, Red and her grandmother are both strong characters that don't allow the pesky wolf get the best of them. These two courageous girls run him right out of the desert. "That yellow-bellied, snake-blooded, skunk-eyed, rancid son of a parallelogram!" This would be a great addition to a unit using traditional literature and it would be a fantastic read aloud with K-5!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this version of Little Red Riding Hood, Red lives in the American Southwest. The story follows the traditional plot for a bit: Red is to deliver goodies to her grandma, she meets a wolf, the wolf gets to grandma's house first... and then this is where the story diverges. Red immediately recognizes that grandma is not in the bed and tries to stall the wolf. Grandma comes barging in with an ax (she was chopping firewood) and she and Red chase off the wolf together. This version is different from most because both Red and Grandma do not follow traditional gender roles. Grandma is healthy, living by herself on the ranch, and performing tasks such as "doctoring a cow or mixing cement." The lesson Red learns at the end is "A girl's gotta stick up for herself."

This book would be good to include when studying varieties in traditional tales. There is a lot of opportunity for comparing and contrasting characters and discussing character traits.

Ages: K-1 as a read aloud, 2nd and up independently

[Marika Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great picture book to use as a teaching tool. It is a western take on Little Red Riding Hood, so there's potential there for some comparing and contrasting with the traditional version. It would be great to teach word choice and voice, and it also has a clear and exciting climax. In addition, you could explore with students how the setting impacts the story. So much potential with this one. It has the added bonus of making my DS laugh and making my DD nervous. I love books that evoke emotion in my kiddos!

[Aubrey Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: folklore

Annotation: This whimsical take on Little Red Riding Hood brings new life to an old favorite. A whimsical Southwestern version of the tale featuring tomboyish title character and a wolf. The story is infused with Southwestern US culture. Southwestern food, housing, customs, climate and landscape are incorporated throughout the book set in the desert.

Themes: Character and Values, Southwestern culture, Diversity

Ways to Use: Use this book for story elements, to analyze dialogue, for making connections, for predicting, to compare/contrast to original tale, for questioning, to study Southwestern US land features

[MM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel conflicted about this one, even though S loves having me read it to her. I'm very familiar with various critiques of the little red riding hood story -- like Susan Brownmiller's take on it as a rape narrative -- and it's true that the aggressive dynamic makes me squirm. I do like this story in which the grandma and granddaughter stick together ("two cowgirls," as Simone says), and I have no idea what it's doing for Simone, other than giving her new vocab around "snake season" and things. But honestly, I'm not crazy about it.

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another LRRH retelling, here in the Southwest and with the wolf as a coyote. Don't ask me why Grandma is out chopping firewood when she's supposed to be down with the flu in this, but it's generally a fun retelling of the story. Little Red figures out it's the coyote quickly and asks the rest of the questions only as a stalling technique, which makes more sense than most versions. Then she and Grandma grab their shotguns and chase off the coyote, that "son of a parallelogram." The illustrations are in keeping with the setting, but again, do be aware there's a child with a gun in this.

[Ashley Lahr]

This book was about Little Red and her Granny. Little Red's mom told her to take some cactus jelly and bread to her grandmans house because she was sick. Once she got there her grandma was not outside. Red went inside to find out that a wolf was in her Grandmas bed. He tried to eat her but grandma showed up and saved her by trying to chop the wolf with an axe. The two of them chased the wolf off on their horses with a shot gun.

[Amethyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter before bed tonight. The story is really great, as are all Susan Lowell's books... a Southwest, revisionist version of Little Red Riding Hood. The characters were better developed than in the original, and the voices were very fun to read aloud. The illustrations were bright, whimsical and humorous. A great read-aloud with kids.

[Anna Piranha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun drawings, a plucky heroine, and some good laughs in this one.