Classic Tales Level 3: Little Red Riding Hood

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Children love stories. Bring the magic of good storytelling into your classroom with Classic Tales, and they'll love their English lessons too. This new edition of the award-winning series uses traditional tales to bring English to life through more than 30 beautifully illustrated stories - now with accompanying: e-Books Audio Packs Activity Books and Plays Project the story and accompanying American English audio onto the Interactive Whiteboard - a digital 'Big Book'! Students can also watch and listen to the story on their home computer or tablets - great for children who prefer computers to books...

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Arriving on the tails of Cinderella , the second of Fay's Fairy Tales continues to feature photographer Wegman's famously photogenic weimaraners, but, unlike the previous book, reflects a predominantly adult sensibility. Wegman experiments more here, trying different camera angles, shooting his dressed-up dogs outdoors as well as inside, and achieving a depth of field that recalls the tableaux of old Viewmaster toys. Campiness is the order of the day: for example, an obviously fake stag's head intrudes into one picture of a caped Red Riding Hood carrying goodies through the forest; `` `Look, a deer. It has antlers. It must be a stag. Hello, stag,' she whispered to herself so as not to startle it'' reads the facing text. But the irony reaches its apogee when the wolf pretends to Red Riding Hood that it is her grandmother--the dog-as-wolf-as-grandmother is a virtual twin of the dog-as-grandmother, so that the ``what big ears you have!'' sequence becomes tongue-in-cheek. A few jolting images--of the ``wolf'' with bloody fangs presiding over a limp raccoon stole, or of it snapping ferociously at Red Riding Hood--may also deter the youngest readers even as their elders are entertained. All ages. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-3-The traditional folktale has been overwritten and laden with unnecessary details. The sole purpose for this expanded version seems to be to create more photo opportunities for Wegman's familiar Weimaraners. Frankly, the dogs are charming when dressed in hooded red capes, nightgowns, and plaid flannel shirts, but a problem arises when the wolf masquerades as grandma, since they look identical. Children are likely to have trouble understanding that the two grandmothers are not the same person/dog. Also certain plot details have been changed. Instead of the woodsman cutting open the wolf, ``The sudden shock of seeing the armed woodsman made him [the wolf] quite nauseous'' and he throws up grandma and Red Riding Hood. This may be an attempt to ameliorate the violence of the story, but it appears a bit hypocritical since in a previous photo the wolf's teeth are streaked with blood after eating the pair. Older children and adults may enjoy this romp, but stick to the classic versions for young children.-Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 7-9. Surely everyone must know that Wegman is the man who takes pictures of his weimaraners, often dressing them up in clothing of one sort or another. Lately, they've been wearing fairy- tale garb, for example, in Cinderella [BKL My 15 93]. Some people love the concept, others hate it, and only you know whether these books have a place in your library. However, no matter what you think of the pictures, there is also a story to deal with here, and that's where even the least pure of purists may have a quibble. With Little Red Riding Hood you usually get either the tame ending (Grandma's hiding in the closet, and the hunter saves Red Riding Hood) or the more traditional, grizzly ending (Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma get eaten, but the hunter slices the wolf open and the two jump out, unharmed). Here we get the Wegman version: the wolf looks at the hunter, gets dizzy, throws up, and vomits out Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, none the worse for wear. There are also a few problems with the pictures. Kids may question why the wolf is just an undressed dog (and may blanch at the dead raccoon at his feet in one shot), while adults will notice that the one two-page spread is the same shot with the negative reversed. An offering for those who don't mind their Red Riding Hood with eyes and teeth as big as Granny's. ~--Ilene Cooper

Horn Book Review

Although Wegman's color photographs of his Weimaraners acting out the traditional story are amusing and may delight Wegman fans, the text itself is undistinguished. The ending -- a party with balloons and chocolate cupcakes -- does not fit with the rest of the story, and some of the photographs are repetitious. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.