School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Immediately, readers know that Very Little Red Riding Hood has very definite ideas about things. Announcing to her mother that she is headed to Grandmama's for a sleepover and must take her cakes, the child heads off on her journey. Predictably, she runs into a Wolf (she mistakenly calls him "a Foxie") and gives him a big hug. After being denied one of the cakes, he tries tagging along, only to be told, "'No!... Go 'way!'" "'No touch my cakes!'" However, Wolf doesn't give up, and Very Little relents. Grandmama is understandably startled to see a bouquet-bearing Wolf on her doorstep and refuses him entry. Her granddaughter convinces her to let him in, and the Wolf joins them for a tea party, game playing, and even a bit of dancing. When Very Little Red's mood abruptly changes and she misses her mother, it is her new friend who is able to stop her tears. The full-color, watercolor-and-ink illustrations pop off white backgrounds with vitality. The Wolf's expressions are especially charming and funny. Text is placed above, below, and around, and the font size varies throughout, giving appropriate emphasis when needed. A fun, fractured adventure.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Very Little Red Riding Hood, the toddler who stars in British author Heapy's retelling (first in a planned series), is all ready to go to Grandmama's for a sleepover, and she's full of love. When she meets the wolf, she leaps on him: "A Foxie!" she says in delight. "No touch my cakes!" she orders. When Grandmama is nonplussed by the wolf in her doorway, Very Little Riding Hood explains, "Oh, Gramma, it's only Foxie." The three play hide-and-seek, dance, and draw until there's a toddler meltdown: "I don't know where is my Mummy," she weeps. "Oh, what big, wet eyes you have," starts the Wolf. "Oh, what a big, snotty nose you have." Will the Wolf's instinctive cruelty finally surface? Not to worry. Heap's childlike watercolor-and-ink spreads subtly signal contemporary life with props like Very Little Riding Hood's wheeled carry-all and Gramma's casual sweater and slacks. Heapy's toddler speech has the ring of authenticity, and it's not a parody, either. Rather, Heapy swaps a delightful new character into an old story and follows her wherever she leads. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.