Betsy Red Hoodie [Hardcover]

I haven't read "Betsy Who Cried Wolf", so I guess I'll just accept that that book established how a wolf got to be a trusted shepherd. Still seems rather baffling that he wouldn't then be trusted around grandmas too. I mean, I know a wolf once ate a grandma, but many wolves have eaten many sheep, so if this wolf can be trusted around sheep, it seems he would be trusted around grandmas.

That's just one example of the lack of internal logic in this story. I realize it's "only" a children's story, so perhaps I shouldn't overanalyze it, but children are capable of understanding logic too and they deserve stories that make sense. This one doesn't seem to fit that bill.

Betsy's mother has decided that Betsy is now old enough to go to Grandma's house on her own. Why she's been trusted to be a shepherd but not go to Grandma's house is a little baffling. As a shepherd, she is naturally concerned what to do with the sheep. "Take them with you," her mother suggests. Why wouldn't she just leave them with the other shepherd - the one who isn't trusted around grandmas? But Zimmo is Betsy's best friend (supposedly), so she brings him along too and hopes for the best.

So we suspend a great deal of disbelief and set out for Grandma's house with this unlikely troop. Things go reasonably well for a time. The sheep - fittingly outfitted in hiking boots - banter among themselves. They meet a farmer and a hunter who are rather skeptical of a wolf visiting Grandma, but Betsy reassures them.

But then things take a turn for the worse. Zimmo sprints on ahead to Grandma's, leaving Betsy (and us) to wonder if it's true what they say about wolves and grandmas. Bad weather hits and the sheep refuse to move. One sheep gets lost. Then Betsy has to haul each sheep individually up Slipenfall Hill. But nonetheless, Betsy must persevere and save Grandma!

After this terrifying and exhausting ordeal, Betsy finally arrives at Grandma's house to find...a birthday party. Betsy's mother, Zimmo and his mother and the farmer are all already there. Now, call me a softy, but I certainly wouldn't put my daughter through that kind of an ordeal just to spring a surprise birthday party on her. And I'd think twice about remaining best friends with someone who would leave me in such a lurch for the same reason. And why didn't the farmer just take Betsy and the sheep in his truck? With friends like these.... All-in-all, a very unconvincing story.

I read this with my four-year-old daughter and she seemed to share my reaction. She looked confused/skeptical throughout most of the book. The humor, which is mildly amusing for adults, went right over her head (except for the one time when the sheep says, "Some books go on forever." - she laughed at that). We checked this out at the library and I won't be sorry to return it. She hasn't asked for it again.

I was captivated by a familiar name, Gail Carson Levine, and the beautiful cover artwork in this book.

Look at those sheep -- they are adorable, right? And they got even more compelling as soon as I opened the book and saw that they were having a conversation (with cartoon dialogue bubbles) right there on the endpaper. This drew my 6-year-old son right into the book as well. In fact, these sheep share their thoughts in their speech bubbles throughout the book. My son loves books that use this device, when there's a lot going on on the page. It's the kind of book that he will sit and read and examine and dare-I-say-it enjoy independently.

Betsy is finally old enough to take the cupcakes to Grandma's house by herself. She sets off, taking her sheep with her so that they can get some exercise (Permit me one more word about these sheep -- they are outfitted in hiking books and backpacks -- so cute). Zimmo, the other shepherd who happens to be a wolf begs to go, but Betsy hesitates because "wolves aren't good for grandmas" because one had eaten a grandmother a long time ago.

He begs, and she relents, remembering that Zimmo had never hurt a person or a sheep, so they set off. Betsy (outfitted in her red hoodie sweatshirt) and the sheep have a few obstacles to overcome: a hunter who wants to shoot Zimmo, Zimmo taking off and leaving them behind, a lost lamb, and a mudslide. But they persist, and when Betsy finally makes it to Grandma's house, she finds it's worth waiting for.

The sheep's comments on the last few pages and the endpaper on the back cover sealed my love for this book. It's a cute story inspired by, yet completely different from, Little Red Riding Hood.

For the beautiful artwork, the clever story with a good message of perseverance and independence, the humor and of course the sheep, I am giving this book 5 Stars.

This is a "sequel" to Levine's previous book, Betsy Who Cried Wolf. Both books are quite cute and modern takes on their respective tales. Betsy and Zimmo and all the sheep are back, this time with a take on Little Red Riding Hood, as the description says.

"'You have to stay home,' Betsy said. 'Wolves aren't good for grandmas.' Long ago a wolf had eaten a grandma."

That's the tone of the book, right there in those few lines.

I have to admit my favorite characters are the sheep. They get to participate mostly through balloon bubble comments throughout the book. The have more fun and get to deliver the "big eyes" and "big teeth" lines this time. There's plenty of direct nods to Little Red Riding Hood for the kids to understand and enough other subtle humor to amuse adults such as sheep "tumbling" after her (Jack and Jill of course) and wool that needs dry cleaning.

Anyway, it's a fun book and great for lapsit reading although the nature of the talk bubbles and side comments don't make it an ideal group storytime read--although I don't do many storytimes anymore, I can't help evaluating all books for the necessary qualities--it's still a great book to add to any library: home, school or public.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars