Lon Po Po by Ed Young (1990 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Lon Po Po by Ed Young (1990)

Ed Young loves to draw from his childhood home of China when it comes to creating stories for young children. As an author and an illustrator, Ed Young is a well know name in Children's literature.

Lon Po Po is a telling of a tale that will seem familiar since it is very similar to Red Riding Hood, but with a bit of a twist, but even though it seems familiar, it isn't a re imagining of Red Riding Hood. Instead, it is a fairy tale from China.

As I mentioned, the story will seem familiar, but there are some similarities and differences.

Similarities

• A wolf that talks and pretends to be a grandmother.
• Child(ren) alone against the wolf.
• The wolf trying to cover up his physical differences.

Differences

• The mother goes to see grandma, and leaves the house.
• There are three children.
• Rather than a hunter saving the day, the children save themselves.

I won't say anything beyond that because I don't want to ruin the story. Check out this tale for yourself. If you are using it in the classroom, be sure to pair this book with another version of Red Riding Hood in order to let the children analyze the differences.