In this Caldecott-winning book, Ed Young works simultaneously as author and illustrator, offering his own retelling of the traditional Chinese “Granny Wolf” story — a tale that shares roots with the European Little Red Riding Hood but unfolds with different dynamics. Instead of one child walking through a forest, Young presents three sisters left home alone, shifting the familiar Grimm structure toward a story about resourcefulness, cooperation, and wit.
Young’s visual language is central to how this reinterpretation works. Each spread is built in three vertical panels, echoing the rhythm of ancient Chinese panel art. His watercolors and pastels create a dark, atmospheric palette where shapes dissolve into shadow and light appears only in brief, revealing flashes. The compositions heighten the tension of the tale, making the wolf feel present even when he isn’t fully shown.
As both writer and artist, Young keeps the text economical and measured, allowing the images to carry much of the emotion and suspense. The result is a version of Little Red Riding Hood that stays close to its oral roots while becoming something distinctly his: visually dramatic, culturally grounded, and told with a quiet, steady confidence.
