Artell, Mike. Petite Rouge : A Cajun Red Riding Hood. Illustrated by Jim Harris. Dial Books for Young Readres, 2001. ISBN 0803725140. Reviewer: Sandra L. Tidwell Reading Level: All Rating: Outstanding Genre: Fairy Tales; Subject: Fairy Tales; Folklore; Books-Reviews; Ever wonder what a Cajun retelling of Red Riding Hood would be like? Your finest expectations would be met by Artell's rhyming tale Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood. Petite Rouge, a young white duck, is sent through the swamps to deliver sausage and gumbo soup to her sick Grand-mere. LeJean, her cat, helps Petite Rouge maneuver the pirogue through the alligator infested swamp, and, sure enough, they meet up with the old 'gator Claude, who claims he just wants a little taste of the food she's bringing to grandmother. Petite Rouge is not fooled for a moment, stands bravely before the designing beast, and commands him to leave. Although Claude retreats in fear, he thinks of another way to get what he wants, and quickly swims to Grand-mere's house before Petite Rouge. You will want to read this book yourself to discover Artell's original conclusion to this fun retelling of a traditional tale. This was a totally enjoyable read! The pronunciation glossary at the front of the book helps tackle the few unfamiliar Cajun terms. Young audiences will enjoy the musical rhythm of the dialect as it is being read to them, and everyone will enjoy the perfect match between the text and Harris's action-packed pencil and watercolor illustrations. From Petite Rouge's stare-down with Claude to Claude's amusing grandmother disguise, reader and audiences alike will be delighted. And, for the "Where is ...?" reader, there's a little mouse to be found in each illustration. I can't wait to share it with my son-in-law who puts hot sauce on everything! (Oops, I didn't want to give away the creative ending!)
