Little Red and the Crocodile by Suzan Johnson - OPTIONAL

Little Red and the Crocodile by Suzan Johnson, 23 pages. PICTURE BOOK. True Beginnings Publishing, 2019. $13.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Little Red is excited to visit her aunt over spring break -- too excited to follow her mother’s directions. Not following directions is fun and doesn’t seem to be hurting anyone. What’s the worst that could happen?

While the premise of moving Little Red Riding Hood to a Louisiana swamp sounds fun, I feel like this version doesn’t bring anything new to the story. I also feel that Johnson throws the moral of the story in at the end without any of the craftsmanship of the original tale. The illustrations are pretty cute, but my overall feeling for the book is mediocre at best.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen