Little Red Riding Hood / Caperucita Roja by The Brothers Grimm

This book is one of my favorite folk literature books! In this version, Little Red Riding Hood is sent into the woods by her mother to deliver a jar of honey and a pie to her grandmother. Her mother warns her not to “dally along the way”. However, while walking to her grandmother’s house, Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf. This wolf tricks Little Red Riding Hood into telling him where she is going with the food. The wolf decides that Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother would make a tasty meal and tricks Little Red Riding Hood into picking flowers so he can get away quickly to her grandmother’s house. Once there, the wolf tricks her grandmother into letting him into the house and eats her. After Little Red Riding Hood arrives, the wolf tricks her into believing that he is her grandmother and eats her too when she comes inside. The large meal makes the wolf sleepy and he soon falls asleep. Hearing unusual snoring, a hunter walks into the house and cuts open the wolf’s stomach to rescue Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. As with all folk tales, there is a lesson to be learned from this story. I believe this story can teach students the importance of listening to their parents and not talking to strangers. However, what makes this book really special is that the text is written in both English and Spanish! This is great because it can help those students whose primary language is Spanish recognize English words. It may also help those learning Spanish as a second language as well.