Little Red Riding Hood - European

My mother wrapped a bright red cloak around my shoulders, the one that gave me my name, Little Red Riding Hood. 'Go straight to your grandmother's house,' she said, handing me a basket filled with fresh bread and sweet jam. 'And remember, don't stop to talk to any strangers along the way.' This journey through the woods would become the story people now call Little Red Riding Hood. The path twisted through a deep, green forest where sunbeams danced on the leaves, and I loved skipping along it, watching the butterflies flutter past. I promised I would be careful, but I was so excited to see my grandmother that I was already humming a happy tune. The birds were singing, the flowers smelled wonderful, and I couldn't imagine anything scary happening on such a beautiful day. I held my basket tightly and started my walk, thinking only of the warm hug I would get from my grandmother at the end of the path.

As I was skipping past a patch of very tall oak trees, a wolf with clever, shining eyes stepped out from behind one of them. 'Good morning, Little Red Riding Hood,' he said in a smooth, friendly voice that wasn't scary at all. 'Where are you going on this fine day?'. Forgetting my mother's important words, I thought he was just being polite. I told him all about my sick grandmother and how I was bringing her a basket of goodies to make her feel better. The wolf smiled, showing a lot of pointy teeth, and pointed to a field of beautiful wildflowers. 'What lovely flowers. Why don't you pick some for her?' he suggested. 'She would adore them.' I thought that was a wonderful idea. While I was busy picking a lovely bouquet of blue, yellow, and purple flowers, the clever wolf raced ahead to my grandmother's cottage. When I finally arrived, the door was already open just a crack. I tiptoed inside. Someone was in my grandmother's bed, wearing her frilly nightcap. But something was very strange. 'Oh, Grandmother,' I said, 'what big ears you have.'. 'The better to hear you with, my dear,' a deep voice replied. 'And what big eyes you have.'. 'The better to see you with, my dear.' I stepped closer, feeling a little nervous. 'But Grandmother, what big teeth you have.'. 'The better to eat you with.' he roared, and leaping from the bed, I saw it wasn't my grandmother at all—it was the wolf.

Just as the wolf lunged, a brave woodsman who was passing by heard my scream. He rushed inside with his axe and saved both my grandmother and me from the tricky wolf. We were so happy and relieved to be safe. My grandmother gave me the biggest hug, and I promised her I would never, ever speak to strangers in the woods again. This story, first told by families in Europe hundreds of years ago, became a famous fairy tale written down by people like Charles Perrault on January 12th, 1697, and later by the Brothers Grimm. It was a special story meant to teach children to be careful and to always listen to their parents' advice. Today, my red cloak is a famous symbol in books, movies, and art, reminding everyone that even when you make a mistake, there is always hope. My adventure teaches us that a little bit of caution and bravery goes a long way, and it connects us to important lessons shared for many, many generations.