Little Red Hot

by Eric A. Kimmel, Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator)

Little Red Hot loves red hot chilli peppers. She eats them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When her grandmother catches a cold, Little Red makes her a hot pepper pie that will “knock those cold germs right out of her”. But before Little Red shares her pie with Grandma, she meets Señor Lobo. The pie comes in very handy when the wily wolf tries to trick her into thinking he’s her grandmother.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fractured Fairy Tales, Fiction, Humor, Food

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 26, 2013

About the author

Eric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little twist on Red Riding Hood. I love the use of food in the book, and both Hood and the Grandmother are nicely done. It was fun.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The classic German fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood , is reimagined and retold in this engaging picture-book, given a Texas flavor in the process. The eponymous Little Red Hot, a young girl who loves red hot chili peppers, sets out to visit her Grandma, encountering Tall Tale hero Pecos Bill and Señor Lobo along the way. When she discovers Señor Lobo masquerading as her Grandma, Little Red Hot's action, in feeding him her hot pepper pie, soon has him in retreat...

Little Red Hot is the forty-ninth book I have read from prolific author Eric A. Kimmel, and the second European folk/fairy-tale transplanted to Texas, following upon his The Three Little Tamales . Interestingly enough, the scene in which Little Red Hot encounters Pecos Bill makes brief mention of the tamales, who appear on a corner of that same page. I found the story here entertaining, and particularly appreciated the use of food - the powerful chili pepper! - as a means of defeating the wolf. As I mentioned in my review of The Three Little Tamales , I often feel ambivalent about folktales which have been culturally or geographically transplanted, as I often wish that the author had devoted his energies to retelling a traditional tale from the culture or place in question, rather than giving an already well-known tale a new skin. To be honest, I picked this one up with that thought in mind, wondering whether the world really needed another version of Little Red Riding Hood . Happily, I ended up enjoying the story so much that I was able to overcome this feeling. The clever use of southwestern cuisine here, the appearance of Pecos Bill, the fact that Grandma is smart enough to escape on her own - these things made this feel more like a fractured fairy-tale, rather than just a transplanted one. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy fractured fairy-tales, or who are looking for stories set in Texas.

[Joella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red Hot got her name because she likes to eat RED HOT peppers that many people cannot stand. When her momma told her that her grandma was sick, Little Red Hot decided to make a hot pepper pie to kick the germs out of her. As she is on her way to Grandma’s house, she is warned by Pecos Bill and his cowboys that there is a wolf around (they found out from the Three Little Tamales that had a run-in with the wolf recently). Little Red Hot promises to be careful. But soon she meets the wolf, although he tells is not Senor Lobo but is Senor Coyote. When the wolf finds out what is going on, he runs over to Grandma’s to see if he can get a quick meal before Red gets there. Of course Grandma is no dummy, so she jumps out the window and runs away as the wolf comes in. When Red gets there there is quite a few exclamations (“my what big eyes you got” and so on). But when Little Red Hot feeds some of her hot pepper pie to the wolf, he flew up like a firecracker because of how hot it was. And Granny and Red were safe and lived happily ever after (with a nice bit of Red Hot Pepper Pie).

I liked this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. I liked the bit about the peppers. (Perhaps because I have some family members who are very into hot peppers). And I liked that Red got her name from what she liked verses what she wore. I also liked how spunky she is. She wasn’t afraid of the wolf (and she knew who he was even though he tried to trick her). But she had a plan and she took care of him. And I also liked the mention of the Three Little Tamales, which is another great book retelling the Three Little Pigs. Basically, if I have a good mixed-up fairytale with great illustrations, I am a happy camper. Nice!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and funny southwest version of Little Red Riding Hood...Little Red Hot loves spicy peppers and so when grandma gets a cold, she makes her hot pepper pie to "knock those cold germs right out of her." But that hot pepper pie isn't just good at getting rid of colds.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the kids enjoyed this Red Riding Hood alternative. My Lamby (age 5) especially loved it and the illustrations.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Texan version of Little Red Riding Hood has many details that will make children laugh. I love the creativity of this author, who changed just enough of the story to keep everybody hooked. I got the book from another teacher in my school, but you can also find it in Youtube. I am very impressed with the illustrations and humorous takes on the events in the attempts to include Texan culture in it. You'll gonna love it as much as I do!. My students could create a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the traditional tale and this not so traditional version.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to see the revisions on the fairy tales that have been written. This rewrite of Little Red Riding Hood still has the brave girl but with the twist that she is also an adventurous eater in that she loves the hottest red peppers at every meal and is going to bake her sick granny a pie with enough hot peppers "to knock those cold germs right out of her". (Also a informational side bar on the hotness level of hot peppers.)

Beautiful artwork with vibrant colors and a wolf who thought he knew how to handle Little Red Hot. Quite fun!

[Kaytlynn Menke]

A cute change to little red riding hood. A little girl who loves spicy food ends up bringing her grandma a chili pepper pie and has a run in with a big bad wolf. This has a strong resemblance to the original but with more modern day humor. Plus, I use it when talking about the senses and how some kids grow up eating certain foods (taste portion of the senses) that they haven't. It's just what they are used to. This allows for good discussion about various parts of the world, cultures, and how experiences shape beliefs.

[Hannah Atwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a southwestern twist on the classic Little Red Riding Hood story. It has fun pictures and is a really fun and easy read that any age could enjoy. I can see myself using this in a lesson about traditional literature, because it is a twist on the classic story! It could be a good compare/contrast project between the two versions.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very unique twist on Little Red Riding Hood! I like the subtle change in events that the author did that you would only know if you knew the original. Reading this to students after the original would be fun, they would see a different story and get to practice seeing differences in storytelling.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great spin off of Little Red Riding Hood! It was quite similar to Little Red Riding Hood except the Red Hot loved red hot peppers and loved anything hot. She baked an incredibly hot pie for her sick grandma and it blew the wolf right out of the house! I think this is a super great book for children and is a fun version of the original fairy tale.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hilarious, clever sendup of "Little Red Riding Hood."

Richly imagined, outrageously delivered, somehow managing to be unpredictible as well.

Hilarious illustration of Senor Lobo at a certain point in this story!!!!

FIVE STARS and my thanks, Eric A. Kimmel -- and also spirited illustrator Laura Huliska-Beith.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Kimmel has turned the folk tale of "Little Red Riding Hood" into a Texas tall tale. "Little Red Hot' loves hot peppers and brings her ailing grnadma a hot pepper pie to" knock the germs right out of her". the fractured folktale is a clever twist on the old story with typical storyteller exageration and Laura Hulisk-Beith's cute drawings.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Texan Little Red Riding Hood. Little Red Hot takes a hot pepper pie to Grandma's house. Señor Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, regrets pretending to be Grandma. I can't do a convincing Texan accent, so my read-aloud experience isn't what it could be.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it better when Kimmel adapts traditional tales from outside the US/ European tradition. I don't think we needed another fractured 'Little Red Riding Hood'... especially one so silly. But it's probably more me, less the book... judge for yourself if you're interested.

[Katie Taisey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very funny twist on the little red ridding hood. I have never seen a little girl that liked spice so much! It seems like it is pretty much the same exact book except for the red hot chili peppers. Each of the animals have cute names like the wolf is senior lobo.

[Emily Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and humorous twist on Little Red Riding Hood. I'm not a fan of children's books using "ain't" and other incorrect grammar ("Grandma, what big eyes you got!"), but I suppose it is accurate for the setting. Still, "Grandma, what big eyes you have" could be just as effective in this case.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute version of Little Red Riding hood in a Tall Tale style.

[Seema Rao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tex-Mex remix of Little Red Riding Hood with the wolf being outsmarted by Red's Hot Pepper Pie.

[Nicole Baum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious twist on Little Red Riding Hood! My students and I were cracking up while reading this story!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both girls LOVED this one.

[10TX · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun Texas twist to Little Red Riding Hood.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids are 4, 6, 10, & 11 and we all enjoyed the Little Red Ridinghood change-up 😊 The pictures were great & I couldn’t stop myself from adding a bit of Texas twang 😉

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun twist on the original with fantastic illustrations. A great read aloud, but very long.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rootin’ tootin’ Texas version of Little Red Riding Hood. Complete with BBQ, hot sauce, and hot peppers. 🌶 Flo loves the bit where Little Red Hot stuffed the hot pepper pizza in the wolf’s mouth.

[Oleander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Texas version of Little Red Riding Hood.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of spicy things! (And the story of Little Red Riding Hood). I like this version better than the original!

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

so colorful, great illustrations, so fun, great read. must read.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddo loves loves loves fairy tales and so whenever we see a retelling of an old fave we give it a try.

*extra stars are always given by the child when the heroine rides a horse.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story and a spin off of Little Red Riding Hood. It has the same story line but all of the characters have different names and are all based around spicy foods.