Little Roja Riding Hood by
Susan Middleton Elya My rating:
4 of 5 stars (Thanks for the recommendation,
Lu!)
Skeptical to start, convinced by the end!
I worried this would be just another jazzed up tale with modern setting and some token multicultural trappings. This was partly true, but let's focus on the surprises!
On the jacket flap, Elya wrote that the whole woodcutter scene was not one of her favorites and that she wanted to write a version where Roja solved her own problem. She did it by combining with The Scalded Wolf! (See [b:Folktales Of France|4488058|Folktales Of France|Genevieve Massignon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|4757068].) This was a charming meld of a standard folk tale with a classic that is not well known (but a favorite of mine for storytelling). This brings it to a 4 instead of 3-star rating!
The blend of a couplet-based narrative with the Spanish phrases worked well. Elya kept a nice pace and rhythm to the words, and the Spanish felt seamless. That was also a nice surprise, because a new rhyming picturebook is one of the standard warning signs.
Finally, [a:Susan Guevara|453672|Susan Guevara|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s illustrations were a good match. She peppered in a Greek-chorus-style subtext between a group of magpies and a couple of fairy-sized imps (drawn to look like Punch!). These elements along with the eyes in the sunflowers added a menacing undertone that balanced the lighthearted and relatively safe version of the text.
Biggest criticism? No one gets eaten, which means the wolf wasn't really dangerous. In a story about predator and prey, a suggestion isn't enough. If she had really wanted to move away from the woodcutter rescue, she should have had
Rojo save Abuelita from the wolf's belly.
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