RED RIDING HOOD AND THE SWEET LITTLE WOLF

Misfit wolf meets mischievous lass in a red cape: Is she friend or foe?

Sweet Little Wolf loves flowers and fairy tales, and she doesn't want to grow up to be big and bad, to the great dismay of her parents. To nudge her back onto the correct path, they send her out to get dinner with a shopping list that includes "one little girl (tender and juicy)." She does want to please her parents, and serendipitously, who should skip by but Red Riding Hood, reading a fairy tale aloud. Sweet Little Wolf is enraptured, then angry at herself, then enraptured again. She creeps into Grandma's cottage and tries to put on a scary face. But Grandma (who fortunately is not home) has such beautiful clothes that Sweet Little Wolf can't resist getting into a sparkly pink robe and dusting herself with powder. When Red Riding Hood arrives, Sweet Little Wolf doesn't attack her but hides under the covers. The two become friends and eat cookies together. Red Riding Hood writes a lovely letter to Sweet Little Wolf's parents. Anxious about her daylong absence, Mrs. Wolf does an about-face that evening and tells Sweet Little Wolf that she loves her just the way she is. Pichon's bright illustrations are a great match for Mortimer's sunny story, told with charm and no skimping on text.

Despite the forced plot, this is likely to bring a smile or three.