Little Red Gliding Hood - #PPBF

     I've missed a few Perfect Picture Book Friday posts and the wonderful books are piling up!
     This book has been featured on other blogs, but I have to give it a shout-out because I love it.

Title: Little Red Gliding Hood                        

Author: Tara Lazar
Illustrator: Troy Cummings
Publisher: Random House, 2015
Intended Ages: 2-10
Themes: Fractured fairy tales, Sports

Opening line(s): "It was winter, and the river winding through the enchanted forest was frozen solid. A girl raced down to the river's edge and laced up her skates."

Synopsis: If she's going to be able to continue her trips to Grandma's house, Little Red Gliding Hood's well-worn skates need to be replaced and the upcoming pairs skating competition is offering skates as a prize--if only Little Red could find a partner.

What I like about this book: My love began with those opening lines, cleverly placed BEFORE the title page. The text goes on for three more sentences to set up the title character, a gorgeous winding illustration drawing the reader into the fairy tale world.
     Tara manages to fit a slew of fairy tale favorites into the story. In the third spread alone you'll find The Dish and Spoon, Hansel and Gretel, Little Boy Blue, The Seven Dwarfs and Old MacDonald. I was already smiling, but Old MacD's "E-I-E-I-ouch" made me laugh! No story is sacrificed for the mash-up and the last lines are brilliant.
     Hilariously expressive brightly-colored illustrations update the fairy tale realm perfectly. One lone dark moody moment is allotted to the Wolf's introduction, then cartoon colors abound. It bubbles over (freezes solid!) with kid appeal.
   
Activities/Resources:

Talk about how a pairs event is different from a singles skating event. Physically and mentally depending on a partner. The Olympic committee has a pairs website and videos posted here.

Tara interviewed Troy (her illustrator) here

 Tara shares a how to write a fractured fairy tale guide and a Little Red coloring page here

See if you have an indoor rink nearby and try it out!

The ActivityVillage.co.uk has several ice skating related activities for preschoolers.

Read, or watch the movie of Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates. (Blades of Glory is a hoot for teenagers, but at PG-13 may not be appropriate for this book audience!)

The Youtube links that claim to be about this book are trolls advertising free book downloads! Avoid them! If you want to learn more about the author, Kidlit TV interviewed  Tara when her debut book, The Monstore, was released.


This review is part of PPBF (Perfect Picture Book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books. Organized and curated by author Susanna Leonard Hill, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF

Thanks for stopping by! Is this book new to you?