Red Ridin' in the Hood: And Other Cuentos

This charming and socially relevant collection of tales points out the universality of the human experience and the many common threads running through folklore by taking traditional Latino tales and international fairy and folk tales (most noticeably European fairy tales) and telling them through entirely Latino/a eyes. In this volume Hansel and Gretel become Jamie and Gabriella and the setting varies from the barrio to the desert to ancient Tenochtitl?n. In every tale, specific elements of Latino culture such as food, custom, religion, and language are deftly woven in and never make the tales feel co-opted. These stories tell about fallible parents, but also the importance of family. They can be very scary, such as when the "wolf" with his gold teeth stalks Rosa in his low rider, but also humorous, when Rosa and her grandmother both remark on the stinky goat cheese. These tellings are able to make clear that real life if often violent, unfair, and unpredictable, but they also tell of characters who are able to be proud, smart, strong, fallible, and lucky enough to make it through adversity. These tales are also unique because they challenge perceptions of gender. In "Emperador's New Clothes" it is a girl who tricks the vain Emperador. In "Blanca Nieves y the seven vaqueritos" (a retelling of Snow White) Blanca Nieves is useless at housework but helpful around the ranch. In "The Sleeping Beauty" the witch is an angsty goth teen who is somewhat justifiably angry at being excluded from a spoiled rich girl's quinceacera. The handsome but unexceptional black and white charcoal drawings by Renato Alarcao accentuate each story, but are careful not to fully illustrate it. The illustrations usually give a picture of a particular emotional moment, giving the imagination of the reader an opportunity to fill in the gaps. This book gets 4 stars because the art is nothing special.

For a contemporary, detailed take on the Red Riding Hood woods saga, choose the urban-oriented Red Ridin' In The Hood And Other Cuentos, pairing realistic and engaging drawings by Renato Alarcao with the story of a barrio Red who decides to brave a dangerous Forest Street to reach her sick grandmother. Eleven such classics receive Latino cultural insights and will delight middle-grade Latino readers.