Richly flavored with Spanish words and Latino cultural details, this retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” is also full of spirit and good humor. Young Roja is suspicious of the wolf that questions her in the woods on the way to her abuela’s , but doesn’t notice him stealing off with her red capa and hood when she stops to pick flores for her ailing grandmother. The wolf, meanwhile, arrives at Grandma’s in disguise, but Grandma (working on her laptop while in bed) only pretends to be fooled. Susan Middleton Elya’s retelling is a masterful — and delightful — rhyming narrative. Susan Guevara’s watercolor, ink, and gouache illustrations are the perfect accompaniment, providing not only visual context for Spanish words and greater cultural context for this version of the story, but also full of funny details, including a cast of characters from other traditional folktales, most notable the three blind mice who accompany Roja on her journey. (Ages 4–8)

A smart, snappy, retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, with Spanish sprinkled throughout
Winner of a Pura Belpre Honor for Illustration

While Roja picks flowers on the way to her grandma's, a mean wolf sneaks away with her cape to surprise Abuelita. But Grandma's no fool and Roja's no ordinary chica. They send that hungry lobo packing with a caliente surprise! This spirited retelling of Little Red Riding Hood has accessible Spanish rhymes and fresh illustrations, with hip cultural details throughout.