Once upon a time, at the edge of a leafy green wood, there lived a little girl who always wore a bright red cape with a hood. Her grandma had sewn it just for her, and she wore it everywhere, so everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One sunny morning, her mother packed a basket with fresh bread, a jar of golden honey and a big round cake. "Grandma is feeling a little tired today," she said. "Please take her this basket. Stay on the path, don't stop to chat with strangers, and come home before supper." "I will!" said Little Red Riding Hood. And off she went. Skip, hop, skip, hop, down the forest path.
The birds sang, tweet-tweet. The leaves whispered, swish-swish. Then, from behind a big oak tree, out stepped a grey wolf with a bushy tail and a tummy that rumbled, grumble-grumble. "Good morning, little girl," said the wolf. "Something in that basket smells delicious." Little Red Riding Hood held her basket close and said politely, "Good morning, Mr. Wolf. My mommy says I shouldn't stop to chat with strangers, so I'll keep walking." And skip, hop, skip, hop, on she went.
The wolf sniffed the air. Honey! He knew that smell. It came from the little house at the end of the path, where an old lady kept bees in her garden. The wolf sighed. "Nobody ever invites a wolf to tea," he said to himself. "Maybe if I get there first, I can ask for just one slice of cake." So he took the shortcut through the ferns, lippety-lop, lippety-lop, as fast as his long legs could go.
When the wolf reached the little house, the door was open, but Grandma wasn't inside. She was out in the back garden picking beans with her neighbor, the kind woodcutter. The wolf waited. And waited. The run had made him tired and chilly, and Grandma's bed looked so soft. "I'll just rest my paws," he yawned. He pulled Grandma's spare nightcap over his ears, popped her spare glasses on his nose, and snuggled under the patchwork quilt. Snore... snore...
Knock, knock! "Grandma, it's me!" called Little Red Riding Hood, and she stepped inside. The wolf woke with a jump and pulled the quilt up to his chin. Little Red Riding Hood tilted her head. "Grandma, what big ears you have!" "Um... all the better to hear your lovely voice," said the wolf. "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" "All the better to see your pretty red hood." "Grandma, what a big bushy tail you have!" "Oh dear," said the wolf. "That's... all the better to... to..." "Grandma, what a big mouth you have!" The wolf gave the biggest, silliest grin. "All the better to SMILE at you!"
Little Red Riding Hood giggled. "You're not Grandma! You're Mr. Wolf!" The wolf's ears drooped. He climbed out of bed and took off the nightcap. "I'm sorry for pretending," he said. "I only wanted a slice of cake. And maybe a friend. Nobody ever asks a wolf to tea." Just then Grandma and the woodcutter came in with a basket full of beans. "Well, well," said Grandma, smiling at her nightcap. "What's all this?"
The wolf explained, and he said sorry again. Grandma patted his paw. "Next time, just knock and ask," she said. "There's always room at my table for a friend who's honest." So they all had a tea party. Grandma poured the tea, Little Red Riding Hood cut the cake, the woodcutter spread the honey, and the wolf carefully carried the cups without spilling a single drop. Munch, munch, sip, sip. Yum!
When it was time to go home, the wolf walked Little Red Riding Hood all the way back, right along the path, of course. Skip, hop, skip, hop went Little Red Riding Hood. Lippety-lop, lippety-lop went the wolf. And from that day on, every Sunday, there was one more chair at Grandma's table: a big one, for a wolf with a bushy tail and very good manners.
Parent tip: Use a big, silly voice for each 'Grandma, what big ears you have!' line and pause so your child can guess the wolf's answer.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
A gentle retelling of a classic tale — nothing scary: Grandma is safe in her garden and the wolf only wants cake and a friend.