Traditional Literature #3 - Little Red Hot

By: Eric A. Kimmel        Illustrator:  Laura Huliska-Beith

Credit: Eric A. Kimmel        Illustrator:  Laura Huliska-Beith

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric A., and Laura Huliska-Beith. Little Red Hot. Las Vegas, NV: Amazon Children's Publishing. 2013. ISBN 9781477816387

PLOT SUMMARY

Eric Kimmel puts a Texas twist on his classic traditional tale of Little Red Hot. Little Red Hot sets off on her adventure to help her sick grandmother after she bakes her famous hot pepper pie. Along the way she meets Pecos Bill, The Three Tamales, and Senor Lobo. Pecos Bill warns her to be on the look-out for The Big Bad Wolf, Senor Lobo. Meanwhile, Senor Lobo is being creative and sneaky. He tries to trick Little Red Hot into thinking he is a coyote. As Little Red Hot continues onto her Grandmothers house, The Big Bad Wolf is racing to get there before her.  Once she arrives at her grandmother's house, she serves up some hot pepper pie to her "grandmother". This sends the Wolf flying out of the book and Little Red Hot and grandmother enjoying the pie together. 

Credit: Eric A. Kimmel        Illustrator:  Laura Huliska-Bei

Credit: Eric A. Kimmel        Illustrator:  Laura Huliska-Beith

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Eric Kimmel does an excellent job retelling his classic traditional tale of Little Red Hot. The style of the story starts with your traditional, "once upon a time". The pattern of the book follows your typical story with the wolf trying to catch the girl, the girl going to grandmas, once at grandmas, the theme of the book will reveal itself of good vs. bad. One creative feature Kimmel used was keeping with the original form of Little Red Riding Hood by using the original phrases and highlighting those phrases in red. He created a sassy Little Red Hot as his main character and used southern dialect, it's fun to read as students will enjoy a read aloud with the Texas twang thrown in there.

Laura Huliska-Beith, illustrator of Little Red Hot uses bold and vibrant colors. She did an amazing job of showcasing Texas landscape. All ages will enjoy this sassy lady that wins the day!

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

Oregon Spirit Book Award Nominee for Picture Book - 2013

Different art mediums–gouache, acrylic, and colored-pencil drawings–have all been merged via use of the computer and provide a lot of detail and appeal. The red hues help bring out the feeling of heat, while the action in the illustrations gives a sense of movement and flow across the pages. An author’s note provides information about peppers and how they get their heat plus how the heat is measured. Kimmel also warns people about eating hot chilies. A fun fractured fairy tale. – Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX School Library Journal June 2013

CONNECTIONS

Activities to Use With This Book:

*  Have students create a play and use a "Reader's Theaters" using the picture book, this is a great way to improve children's reading fluency and speaking fluency.

*  Compare and contrast this version of "Little Red Riding Hood" with other versions. Brainstorm ideas and share with the class.

* Sequencing - Map the setting and story sequence throughout the story and share with the class.

*  Character Traits - Discuss the similarities and differences of all the characters. How do the characters change over time in the book?

* Predicting - Make some predictions throughout the book. Did they come true at the end? Write on a sticky note and share with the class.

* Writing activity - Write your own ending to the story to share with the class.

Book Connections:

* Cactus Soup - ISBN 978-0761458326 

*  The Three Little Tamales - ISBN 978-0761455196 

* Blog created for the purpose of TWU, Children's Literature Course #5603, and for the love of reading!