Petite Rouge A Cajun Red Riding Hood

In Petite Rouge (Picture Puffins)Mike Artell retells the story of Red Riding Hood with animal characters and a Cajun setting.

Red Riding Hood, or Petite Rouge, is a goose who sets off with the traditional goodies to visit her sick grandmother. We meet not a wolf, but Claude the Gator, who also appears in Artell's Three Little Cajun Pigsas the villan.

Claude is no more successful with Red than he was with the pigs. There is also no vengeful woodcutter to kill the gator. Claude is distracted from his desire to eat Red and her grandmother after Red gets him to eat a bottle of hot sauce.

Artell has created another cute alternate fairy tale. Claude the gator makes an interesting substitute for the Big Bad Wolf.

The Scarlett Flower a Russian Beauty and the Beast

For those who have read Grimm's Beauty and the Beast The Scarlet Flower. A fairy tale for children: in Englishwill have a familiar feel to it.

A wealthy merchant leaving on a long trip promises his daughters gifts. The older daughters want special gifts that will cost the father money to acquire, but his youngest daughter's request leaves him troubled. She wants a scarlet flower equal to none other in the world. He is challenged because he feels he can never be sure he has met her request.

This is of course where he encounters the Beast and has the choice to forfeit his own life or surrender the hand of one of his daughters into marriage. He returns home saddened at the prospects before him. The older two daughters refuse to help feeling since it was the youngest daughter's request that caused the problem, she should be the one to sacrifice to fix it. She willingly goes to the Beast.

The two overcome their challenges and do become friends. While initially, overcome at his physical looks she convinces him that she can adapt to his appearance and even that hurdle is overcome. In this version, she is provided with a magic ring so that if she cannot tolerate him, she is free to leave. In a dream, she receives word her father is ill and asks permission to visit her father. He reminds her that she is free to use the ring and go. He does warn her if she does not return within three days and nights he will die.

She enjoys her time with her family. Her sisters are envious of her new wealth and try to convince her to stay with them. She feels loyalty to the Beast and is prepared to arrive back an hour early. Her sisters trick her and set the clocks back so she will arrive late. She finally leaves and is surprised that the Beast is not waiting for her. She walks into the garden to find the Beast dead holding her flower. She holds him, kisses him, and tells him she loves him as she would her betrothed.

This of course releases the Prince from beneath the Beast. He tells her the tale of how he became the Beast. This is where the tale differs from many I have read. In this version, he was cursed from birth. It had nothing to do with any actions on his part. However, the release still required someone to love him in his Beast form.

Pretty Salma A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa

Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africais a West African Red Riding Hood tale taken from Ghana.

In this tale, Salma is sent to the market with a list of items to buy for her Granny. She is given the traditional cautionary comment not to talk to strangers. As she travels, she sings a song, which will prove to be very important later in the story. On her arrival at the market, all goes well and she picks up the items her Granny requested.

The basket on her head grew heavy as the day shortened and she decides to take a short cut home through the "wild side" of town. There she meets Mr. Dog who offers to carry her basket home for her. As the journey continues, he acquires more of her outfit all in the name of helping to lighten her load. Eventually he has a costume he hopes will fool her Granny. As they arrive closer to her home she begins to ask for her items back, but the dog threatens her. Eventually he chases her off and unlike most versions of Red Riding Hood; we discover there is a grandfather in this story.

Salma runs to her grandfather and together they devise a plan to save grandmother from the dog. While Grandmother is curious about many of the dog’s features, she knows her granddaughter will be able to sing the song Salma was singing earlier in the story. While the dog tried he was not able to sing her song. When he tried to learn her song, he was only able to bark. Unfortunately, Grandma does not realize her mistake soon enough. Mr. Dog traps her in her own cooking pot. Thankfully, Grandpa and Salma arrive in time to save her and they are able to enjoy the wonderful things Salma picked up at the market.