Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China

Review of Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young From Publishers Weekly

This version of the Red Riding Hood story from Young ( The Emperor and the Kite ; Cats Are Cats ; Yeh-Shen ) features three daughters left at home when their mother goes to visit their grandmother. Lon Po Po, the Granny Wolf, pretends to be the girls' grandmother, until clever Shang, the eldest daughter, suspects the greedy wolf's real identity. Tempting him with ginkgo nuts, the girls pull him in a basket to the top of the tree in which they are hiding, then let go of the rope--killing him. One of Young's most arresting illustrations accompanies his dedication: "To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness." Like ancient Oriental paintings, the illustrations are frequently grouped in panels. When the girls meet the wolf, e.g., the left panel focuses on their wary faces peering out from the darkness, the middle enlarges the evil wolf's eye and teeth, and the third is a vivid swirl of the blue clothes in which the wolf is disguised. The juxtaposition of abstract and realistic representations, the complicated play of color and shadow, and the depth of the artist's vision all help transform this simple fairy tale into an extraordinary and powerful book. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I remember this book from a nanny job I had in high school. The girls I watched during the summer loved to read this book again and again. They would hide under covers every time they thought the wolf was going to eat the 3 children. They would jump on the bed in the end when the wolf was killed. My own 3 girls especially like knowing that 3 sisters can defeat evil and gladly take roles when acting out the story. It is a timeless classic with soft, beautiful illustrations for the elementary library.