Illustrated by Frank Adams, published by Blackie & Son.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who enjoyed wearing a red hood so much, that everybody started calling her Red Riding Hood. She got this hood from her grandmother who loved her very much. When her granny, who lived in the forest, got ill, Red Riding Hood wanted to help her.
Red Riding Hood's mother prepared a full basket of goods for sick granny. She told the girl not to stray from the path or talk to strangers. Red Riding Hood promised everything and rushed into the woods. She was so excited she immediately forgot everything her mother told her.
Soon she met a wolf. He was very curious. He wanted where is she going and what she had in her basket. The wolf expressed deep concerns about the granny's health condition. He suggested that Red Riding Hood pick some flowers on her way to the granny's house, so the old lady could enjoy the beauty of nature even if she could not go out of bed.
He also asked the girl where the granny lived so he could advise her to use the fastest possible path to the house in the woods.
So Red Riding Hood accepted the wolf's advice not thinking about her mother's warnings. The wolf was nice, right? What harm she could cause with a bucket of flowers? Maybe she can even make a wreath!
The girl enjoyed the sunny day surrounded by colorful blooms and birds singing.
In the meantime, the Wolf who should be called Big Bad Wolf no matter how nice he could talk, rushed to the granny's house. The old lady was not particularly cautious. Her door was open.
The wolf had no problem getting in and eating the grandmother of Red Riding Hood. He was not hungry anymore but he could still use a bite of fresh tender meat. The girl who should come to visit would do just fine.
The wolf decided to put granny's gown on. She won't use it anyway and what could be a better place to accept the young girl than lying in bed?
Then he just waited. He was smart and patient. He knew that his dinner was already on the way.
When Red Riding Hood finally arrived she was a bit surprised. Her granny looked so different than last time!
She didn't remember her with so large eyes. And suddenly she had huge ears as well. Not to mention her hands ...
Did we say hands? They looked more like paws. Paws with claws ...
Granny's mouth was the most terrifying of all.
They talked for a while but Red Riding Hood still wasn't sure what was wrong with granny. She looked strange, she talked strangely, and her entire behavior was off.
Suddenly she realized she was not dealing with her beloved grandmother. It was a big hairy beast in her granny's gown in her granny's bed!
The Big Bad Wolf jumped out of bed to eat the naive girl, who was paralyzed by fear.
Yes, she became a desert for the voracious beast. But she was not completely swallowed when a woodcutter broke in the house. He wanted to check the old lady too and when he heard some strange noises decided to act immediately.
Woodcutter defeated the overloaded beast without any problem.
He managed to take the girl and her granny out of the wolf's stomach so they both survived.
Then he took the girl in his arms and carried her home. Everything ended well and he only hoped that Red Riding Hood learned her lesson.
This is the end of the classic story about Red Riding Hood by Blackie & Son. It's a bit different than most popular versions where the hunter comes to the rescue. It seems everybody and his grandmother (pun intended) tried to rewrite this fairy tale to solve something he (or the grandmother) thought should be solved.
One obvious question from the beginning of the story is obviously the absence of the father. On a symbolic level that's actually not true. The dark side of the father's figure is well represented in Big Bad Wolf. The bright side is of course seen in the hunter.
But in this particular version, somebody decided to use woodcutter instead of the hunter (both professions are well-represented in Grimm's Fairy Tales) which explains the absence of the father. He was working. It's up to the reader if he is satisfied with such change but something is clear. Red Riding Hood is one of the most popular fairy tales ever exactly because there are so many possible versions and interpretations.