Wednesday, August 27, 2014

New Book: Super Red Riding Hood by Claudia Davila



Super Red Riding Hood by Claudia Davila (Author, Illustrator) was released earlier this month. Yes, that's LRRH as a superhero. Which really, when you think about it, is a natural with that red cape of hers. Rather surprised this hasn't been done a few times before in picture books but I can't think of any other examples in books.


I have not read the book--only previewed through the Look Inside feature on Amazon--where these images came from--so I'm not sure how the wolf and other elements play out. But I am curious. I would have adored this as a kid and probably would have had a bigger kid-crush on LRRH, too. I wanted to be Wonder Woman and Batman at that age so I can imagine the glee this book would have inspired in me.

Book description:

Here's a picture book with a humorous new twist on what happens when red riding hood meets the hungry wolf in the woods. In this telling, our heroine Ruby loves red berries, her red boots and especially the red cloak her grandma made for her. "When Ruby puts on her red cloak, she becomes ? SUPER RED RIDING HOOD!" Sent by her mother to collect some raspberries from the clearing in the woods, Ruby reminds herself that she isn't frightened by the chill from the darkness, the loud tapping of the woodpecker or the snapping of a twig underfoot, because "SUPER RED RIDING HOOD is never scared!" But the final test comes when she encounters a towering wolf with a growling tummy. It will take all of Ruby's superhero skills to get him to leave her alone! Author-illustrator Claudia Davila has crafted an upbeat, modern-day fairy tale sure to delight the pre-reader set. The emotions of the little girl in the red cloak and red boots are the centerpiece of every colorful drawing, and some pages feature more than one scene to speed up the visual action. This is a great read-aloud story full of drama, with a positive message about not judging others too quickly, as well as character education lessons on being generous, brave, compassionate and respectful. It also offers an empowering example to both girls and boys of a strong character standing up for herself against a bully.




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