Little Red Gliding Hood

An icy enchanted forest is home to a bevy of fairy tale characters, including Little Red Gliding Hood, an ice skater set on winning a new pair of skates in a skating competition. Lazar packs her story with fairy tale-based jokes as Little Red finds an ally in the Big Bad Wolf, who is also a capable skater. The competition gets off to a rocky start ("The wolf frightened Little Miss Muffet away. She bumped Little Jack Horner into the corner. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall"), but Little Red and the wolf emerge victorious. Cummings's cartoons feel as slick as ice, creating a playful backdrop for Lazar's wintry nursery rhyme punning. Ages 2-5. Author's agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, Herman Agency. (Oct.)

With a swizzle and a twizzle, Little Red Gliding Hood skates across the title page as she heads down the river of a wintery wonderland. Along the way, she notices a banner for a skating competition with golden skates offered as the prize. Her rundown pair needs to be replaced, but there's a problem—she needs a partner. In this funny fairy tale and nursery rhyme mash-up, characters from their respective stories team up to compete, but what about Red? Turns out the Big Bad Wolf is not so bad, and he needs some new skates, too. Many other tales also make cameos, and it's fun to try and name those that the text does not mention. The text, which strings together revised versions of well-known lines ("All the king's horses and all the king's men put the competition together again"), is the centerpiece. Everything is united by a cartoon style with magical colors—think Candy Land in winter. Even with all the changes, the story still follows the general drift of the original: little girl goes to her grandma's house, wolf appears, and a woodsman tries to save the day. Only one aspect differs significantly...the wolf is on the winning side. VERDICT A wonderful winter-themed fractured fairy tale with so many clever details that kids will want to read again and again.—Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada