Book Review of Little Red Hot by Eric Kimmel

 

1.      Bibliography

Kimmel, E. A. 2013. Little red hot. (Huliska-Beith, L.). Two Lions. ISBN: 9781477816387

2.      Plot Summary

Little Red Hot is a girl from Texas who loves to eat red hot chili peppers.  When she hears her grandmother isn’t feeling well, she knows exactly what to do.  She bakes an extra spicy pie to clear her cold right up.  Along the way she is warned about Senor Lobo, a big bad wolf on the roam.  When she finally makes it to her grandmother’s house little red hot can tell she isn’t who she says she is.  She gives Senor Lobo a big slice of pie and he is never heard from again.

3.      Critical Analysis

In this Texas themed book, we follow Little Red Hot who loves spicy things.  This tale is based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.  There are a few differences between the original and this version, instead of brining her grandmother cookies or bread, she bakes her grandmother a spicy pie that Little Red Hot is sure will clear her cold.  Instead of being fooled by the bad wolf, Little Red Hot out-smarts him by making him eat a piece of the hot pie.  The story is written in easy to follow along phrases that will make children familiarize with the original version.  “Grandma, what big ears you got! The better to hear you with, Darlin’, Senor Lobo said.” Since the story takes place in Texas, the characters live on a ranch and ride horses everywhere, giving you the impression this takes place before cars were around. 

 

The illustrations by Huliska-Beith give a more cartoon look to the characters.  The pages are bright and colorful and cover the entire page.  Big eyes, big ears, and big teeth are emphasized with bigger text that is red instead of black. 

 

This book shows that even if you are little you can be smart enough to beat the big bad wolf.  Children will love this take on Little Red Riding Hood and may become a new favorite.

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

A Texas twist on a familiar tale. Little Red Hot gets her name from the peppers she’s so fond of eating. When she visits her sick grandma, she takes her a red-hot chili pie. Who should she meet as she rides through the woods? Pecos Bill, the Three Tamales, and, of course, Señor Lobo. The wolf beats her to her grandmother’s house and disguises himself as the old woman, but one bite of Little Red Hot’s pie sends him skyrocketing out of sight. Different art mediums–gouache, acrylic, and colored-pencil drawings–have all been merged via use of the computer and provide a lot of detail and appeal. The red hues help bring out the feeling of heat, while the action in the illustrations gives a sense of movement and flow across the pages. An author’s note provides information about peppers and how they get their heat plus how the heat is measured. Kimmel also warns people about eating hot chilies. A fun fractured fairy tale.–Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX School Library Journal June 2013

5.      Connections

*I would do a comparison or T-chart comparing this version to the original version of Little Red Riding Hood.  You can also make a graph on which one the students prefer better.

*This is also a good book to teach about not talking to strangers or giving out too much information to people you don’t know.