Red Riding Hood Books for Kids

Little Red Riding Hood is a classic fairy tale that is known the world over. There are so many wonderful retellings and twists on the original tale. This is a collection of books that feature the classic story, fun twists on the story, the tale told from the wolf’s point of view, and books that are great for older kids. We hope that you enjoy the list and find several books that you can use with your children.

GET A FULL WEEK OF PLAYFUL LEARNING IN OUR LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD LESSON PLANS.

More Resources for Little Book Lovers

The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.

Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.

Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.

Original Story of Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood by Candice Ransom

This is the original story of Red Riding Hood and a great version for little ones.  I like this version because grandma is in the closet, not eaten, and the hunter does not kill the wolf. Instead the wolf falls out a window, rolls down the hill and runs away.

Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Galdone

This version is great for kids that are a little older. The story is told with an Old English style of wording. The book ends with the hunter reaching into the wolf’s mouth and pulling Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother out, the wolf dies because he is afraid of the hunter.

Red Riding Hood by James Marshall

This version would be good for kids that are older, possibly elementary age.The ending is more graphic than the previous books, as the hunter kills the wolf and then cuts open his stomach to get Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother out.

Little Red Riding Hood (Classic Fairy Tale Pop-Ups) by Julia Seal

Little Red Riding Hood is told with whimsical pictures and fun pop-ups on each page. The story is perfect for little ones with an ending that is not scary or sad.

Red Riding Hood with a Twist

Betsy Red Hoodie by Gail Carson Levine

In Betsy Red Hoodie Betsy heads to grandma’s house with her sheep and friend and fellow shepherd, the wolf. As they herd the sheep along, Betsy begins to wonder if wolves are really good for grandma. Will the wolf turn out to be bad? I like the sheep and their side conversations throughout the story and the fun twist on this story.

Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa by Niki Daly

Pretty Salma tells a very different version of Red Riding Hood that includes items from African life. Salma goes to the market for her Grandmother but is tricked by Mr Dog into giving him all her clothes. Salma then works with her Grandfather to try and stop Mr Dog before he eats Grandma.

Petite Rouge: a Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell

Petite Rouge is a fun story of Red Riding Hood told in true Cajun style. The book is written with a Cajun accent and in rhyme. I like the ending and that the gator “wolf” learns to stay away without losing his life.

Little Red Riding Hood: a Newfangled Prairie Tale by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Little Red Riding Hood is a fun twist on the original version, in this story the wolf is after grandma’s muffin recipe. The wolf is in for a big surprise when he gets to grandma’s house. Grandma sets him straight and puts him to work to keep him out of trouble.

Isabel and the Hungry Coyote by Keith Polette

Isabel and the Hungry Coyote is a Spanish Southwest version of the original story. The story is told in English featuring Spanish words.

Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf by Rachael Mortimer

The story of Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf  tells the story of Sweet Little Wolf who wants to be a good wolf and dresses in  grandma’s clothes so that Little Red Riding Hood will read a book to her. This shows that wolves are not always bad and that it is important to be you.

Super Red Riding Hood by Claudia Davila

Super Red Riding Hood is a normal girl until she puts on her red boots and cape. When she heads into the woods, Super Red Riding Hood will face the wolf and show him how to be kind. A super hero girl facing the wolf is fun and reminds us to be brave and confident.

Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf Prince by Mr. Richard Edward Hargreaves

In this version of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf is a prince that is under a magic spell. This is a fun twist on the story that everyone will enjoy.

Little Red Riding Duck by Charlotte Guillain

Little Red Riding Duck retells the original story but all the characters are animals. Young kids will enjoy this simple version of the original tale. This book is part of a series that retells fairy tales with different types of animals.

Little Red Cowboy Hat by Susan Lowell

Little Red Cowboy Hat tells the traditional story of Red Riding Hood set in the Wild West. The ending is a little different with grandma and Red Riding Hat chasing the wolf away together. This is another fun version with just a slight twist.

Very Little Red Riding Hood by Teresa Heapy

In Very Little Red Riding Hood, Red Riding Hood is a very little toddler and headed to grandma’s house for a sleepover. In this version, the wolf is not bad and comes along to grandma’s with Red Riding Hood. I like that Red Riding Hood is young and at one point is upset because she misses her mom. For little ones this is a fun story that they can relate to.

Red Riding Hood from the Wolf’s Point of View

Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!: The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf by Trisha Speed Shaskan

The “true” story of Red Riding Hood explains that the wolf was actually a vegetarian but ran out of food. Red Riding Hood and her grandmother looked like juicy apples to him and so he ate them. I like hearing a story from a different point of view and like that this one tells a whole different side to the classic tale.

The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood: A Novelty Book by Agnese Baruzzi

In The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood the wolf wants to be good and ask Red Riding Hood to help him. Red Riding Hood is happy to help until the wolf is more popular than her. The book is interactive and fun to read.

The Wolf’s Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood by Toby Forward

The Wolf’s Story explains that the story you have always heard was all wrong. The wolf promises he is not bad and that it was just an accident that he locked grandma in the closet. You will have to read this one to see if you believe the wolf.

Little Fred Riding Hood by Michael Cox

Little Fred Riding Hood is Little Red Riding Hood take two. In the story Wilf Wolf loves the story of Red Riding Hood and wants to be just like the Big Bad Wolf even though his book is missing the end of the story. When Wilf Wolf sees Little Fred Riding Hood with his grandma he can’t wait to follow in the Big Bad Wolf’s footsteps but he is in for a big surprise. If only he had read the end of the story first…

Red Riding Hood for Older Kids

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub

As a former 4^th grade writing teacher, I love this story! The book is wonderful for talking about word choice, ideas for writing and encouraging students to be creative when they write. Red Riding Hood is a pencil and the wolf is a pencil sharpener which is one of the many ways this story is so creative and cute.

Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz

If you are looking for an action packed story then this is the book for you. The story is very similar to the original but has a new beginning and ending and lots of ninja fighting. The book also looks like a comic book which can be good for older kids that are reluctant to read.

Little Red Riding Hood by Brothers Grimm and Daniel Egneus

This is the original story of Red Riding Hood that was written by Brothers Grimm. Daniel Egneus created a graphic novel to retell the story using beautiful illustrations. The pictures and way the story is presented are wonderful.

Lon Po Po : A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young

I love this variation of Little Red Riding Hood and I have used it in my classroom many times. The illustrations are very dark and give you a feeling that you can’t see everything that is happening. If you have never read this variation you should try it.

After Happily Ever After- Red Riding Hood Takes Charge by Tony Bradman

In Red Riding Hood Takes Charge, granny is lonely living in the woods all alone. Red Riding Hood is on a mission to find her grandma someone special to spend time with. This book is an early chapter book.

Carmine: A Little More Red by Melissa Sweet

Carmine is the traditional story of Red Riding Hood but this books features vocabulary words from A to Z that are used on each page. I like the illustrations and how the vocabulary words are used in the story. This is a great story to read when encouraging students to use new vocabulary words in their writing.

What do you think?? Did you find a new favorite or a must have for your library?

GET A FULL WEEK OF RED RIDING HOOD THEME LEARNING AND PLAY

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:

This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:

• Counting Bread Math Activity (1-20) in color and B/W
• Feel Better Writing Activity
• Nutritious Foods Science Activity in color and B/W
• Color by Number Activity Pages
• Little Red Riding Hood Patterning Stems and Pattern Cards
• Going to Grandma’s House Board Game in color and B/W
• Red Riding Hood Roll and Graph Math Activity in color and B/W
• Story Picture Word Cards in color and B/W
• Class Book Covers and Book Page Template Options
• Soup for Grandma Math and Pretend Play Activity in color and B/W
• Get Well Card Templates
• Dinner for Grandma Pretend Play and Sensory Mats
• Character Labels for Block Center or Story Retelling Props