Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2001, received 3,434 votes from Louisiana third, fourth and fifth graders, making it the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award winner for 2004.  It is a humorous rhyming story based on the traditional tale Little Red Riding Hood.

The author Mike Artell and the illustrator Jim Harris have transformed the familiar folktale into a rollicking romp in the Louisiana swamps. Little Red Riding Hood is portrayed as a clever young duck and the villain is depicted as a big, bad alligator. The amusing illustrations by Jim Harris perfectly capture the fun and high jinx of this exuberant story.

Remember the basketful of goodies that Little Red Riding Hood’s mother sends to Grandmother? Probably cookies, cakes and the like, right? Well, wait till you see what Cajun mamma sends Grand-mere! Gumbo, boudin, and shrimp etoufee! Ca c’est bon! Our little Petite Rouge paddles her pirogue across the swamp and is warned by mamma not to stop on the way because of those gators, whom we all know are right up there with wolves when it comes to nasty characters in folktales! Petite Rouge, takes along her cat, TeJean. Good thing, because “he smart fo’ a cat.” And sho ‘nuff, guess who they meet on the way. Claude the gator says he just wants some of the food, but Petite Rouge is smart enough to know that he won’t stop with the etoufee!  Claude, of course, thinks he’s pretty smart when he tries to trick Petite Rouge by dressing up as Grand-mere, but he’s about to be outsmarted by TeJean, who gives the gator his first and last taste of “Red Hot Sauce.” Petite Rouge, TeJean, and Grand-mere think this is so funny, “they be roll’ on dat floor an’ dey laugh deyself good.”  Kids will have the same reaction as they enjoy the wildly funny illustrations, such as Claude daintily stepping into Grand-mere’s bloomers. The picture of Claude with his tail in a knot and smoke coming out of his nostrils is sure to have the kids screaming. Told in rhyme with lots of Cajun words to spice up the story, open up Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood and laissez les bon temps roulez! (Review by Carol Cassagne Theriot Honduras Elementary School Librarian, Houma)