Review of "Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China," by Ed Young

Review of

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China, by Ed Young ISBN 0590440691

Five out of five stars

 I always find folk tales from various cultures to be interesting, for they are a window into the thought processes of the people as well as somewhat of a history of their environment. For example, the folk tales of people that lived in arid areas are quite different from those of people that lived in a very wet environment.

 This story from China is especially interesting in that it is very similar to the classic tale of “Red-Riding Hood” in western cultures. One of the main differences is that the wolf is the traveler rather than the child. Three children are left alone when their mother visits their grandmother and the wolf pretends to be the grandmother coming to visit them while she is gone. The children are clever and are able to outwit the wolf, the wolf is a bit of a dullard, not knowing when to give up his quest for a tasty meal.

 Given the somewhat washed out and indistinct features of the images, this is not a book where children will study the images looking for non-obvious characteristics. This makes the book a bit scary for young children, so parents need to be a little cautious when it is in the presence of the youngest children.