Independent Reading Level: K-3

When her grand-mère has the flu, young Petite Rouge is dispatched by her mother with some hearty gumbo in this Cajun retelling of the classic European fairy-tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Warned to make her way across the swampy bayou with no delay, Petite Rouge sets out with her feline companion TeJean, only to find her way blocked by Big Bad Gator Claude. Fortunately, our heroine is able to outwit this alligator foe, both in the bayou and at grand-mère's house, where he has disguised himself as her relative...

With an entertaining text in rhyming Cajun dialect from author Mike Artell and delightfully expressive watercolor and pencil artwork from illustrator Jim Harris, Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood is a fun picture-book romp. I am not always a fan of transplanted tales of this kind, as I often find myself wishing that the storyteller had retold some traditional tale from the culture in question, rather than choosing to give a new "skin" to a well-known story from some other people or tradition. That being said, as the Cajun people do originally come from French-speaking settlers in what is now Canada, and as French fairy-tale author Charles Perrault is one of our original sources for this tale, perhaps it could be said to be part of their cultural heritage as well. I would be interested to know whether there was a traditional Cajun variant of this story, or whether Artell simply took the European tale and reclothed it, as it were. In any case, I did appreciate the introductory note about the Cajun people, and the inclusion of a glossary of Cajun terms. I think this one would make an entertaining read-aloud, especially for audiences that enjoy fairy and folktales, and it is for that purpose that I would recommend it. For myself, I finished it with a desire to seek out some traditional tales from the Cajun tradition itself. ( )

Great southern take on Little Red Riding Hood. Fun for the cajun language used and cute illustrations.

This book was the red riding hood story that was set in Louisiana, so the author made it a Cajun story. I liked the author's style that gave Louisiana readers a sense of home, and they are able to understand the language the author uses. I liked comparing this story to the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, and I liked seeing the differences in this story along with other Cajun stories from Louisiana. ( )

Petite Rouge as an adorable version of the Red Riding Hood. It has a Cajun twist and such a humorous story with Petite Rouge and Claude the gator.
I have used this book for a read aloud and the students enjoyed all the characters and a different version. Activities could consist of identifying characters, plot, setting, compare and contrast and sequencing. Petite Rouge is appropriate for all grades! ( )