Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood
Written by Mike Artell
Illustrated by Jim Harris
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Text copyright 2001
32 pages
Genre: Fractured fairytale

As soon as I saw this cover of Petite Rouge, I knew I had to pick it up! I love New Orleans and the artwork took me right back to vacations there with my Mom and Dad. The story is basically the same as Little Red Riding Hood, but it has a cool Cajun twist complete with authentic Cajun language all throughout the book. The big bad gator (not wolf) is no match for little red riding duck and her pet cat.

The illustrations in Petite Rouge were prepared using watercolor and pencil on Stathmore rag bristol. The illustrations just really bring the story to life and give it that great Cajun vibe. It makes you feel like you're on a swamp tour down in Louisiana, seeing gators pop out of the water. The text can be a little difficult to read for a child because of all the Cajun language, so the illustrations are essential for understanding the story.

This book would be great for grades first through fourth. I would perhaps read this story and cook some Cajun inspired food (like gumbo) with my class, so that they can experience another culture. You could make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Petite Rouge to the traditional Little Red Riding Hood. You could even use it as a writing activity to allow the students to make up their own version of the story.