Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is one of the best-known fairy tales in the world, first written down by Charles Perrault and later given its familiar rescue ending by the Brothers Grimm — the version told here.

The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a little girl in a village, the prettiest that had ever been seen; her mother was quite taken with her, and her grandmother even more so. This good woman had a little red hood made for her, and it suited her so well that everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day, after her mother had baked some cakes, she said to Little Red Riding Hood:

"Go and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she is ill. Take her a cake and this little pot of butter."

Little Red Riding Hood set off at once to visit her grandmother, who lived in another village. On her way through the forest she met the dangerous wolf, who very much wanted to eat her, but he didn't dare, because some woodcutters were nearby.

He asked her where she was going. The poor little girl, not knowing it was dangerous to stop and talk to a wolf, answered:

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"I'm going to my grandmother's, and I have a cake and a little pot of butter that my mother is sending her."

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"Does she live far away?" asked the wolf.

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"Yes," answered Little Red Riding Hood, "farther than the mill you can see over there, in the first house in the village."

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"Well," said the wolf, "I'll go there too. I'll take this path, and you take the other, and we'll see who gets there first."

The wolf ran off as fast as he could along the shortest path, while the girl took the longer way, and along the way she picked hazelnuts, chased butterflies, and gathered little bunches of the flowers she found. It wasn't long before the wolf reached grandmother's house; he knocked on the door: Knock, knock.

"Who's there?"

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"It's your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood," answered the wolf in a disguised voice, "I have a cake and a little pot of butter that my mother is sending you."

The kind-hearted grandmother, who was lying in bed because she wasn't feeling well, called out:

"Pull the latch, and the door will open."

The wolf pulled the latch, and the door opened. He threw himself on the good woman and swallowed her whole in an instant, for he hadn't eaten in several days. Then he shut the door and lay down in grandmother's bed to wait for Little Red Riding Hood, who arrived a little later and knocked on the door: Knock, knock.

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"Who's there?"

Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the wolf's hoarse voice, was frightened at first, but thought her grandmother must have a cold, so she answered:

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"It's your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, I have a cake and a little pot of butter that my mother is sending you."

The wolf called back, softening his voice a little:

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"Pull the latch, and the door will open."

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the latch, and the door opened. As she came in, the wolf, hiding under the covers, said:

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"Put the cake and the little pot of butter on the shelf, and come lie down with me."

The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood: The Wolf and the Girl by the Bed

Little Red Riding Hood undressed and got into bed, and was quite astonished to see how her grandmother looked in her nightgown. She said:

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"Grandmother, what big arms you have!"

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"All the better to hug you with, my dear."

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"Grandmother, what big legs you have!"

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"All the better to run with, my dear."

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"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"

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"All the better to hear with, my dear."

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"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

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"All the better to see with, my dear."

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"Grandmother, what big teeth you have!"

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"All the better to eat you with!"

And with these words the wicked wolf threw himself on Little Red Riding Hood and ate her up.

Luckily, a huntsman (or perhaps the same woodcutter she had met earlier) happened to be passing by grandmother's house. He heard an unsettling snoring sound and thought, "How loudly grandmother is snoring today! Maybe she needs help." The huntsman went in and saw the wolf lying in the bed. He understood at once what had happened.

The huntsman took a pair of scissors and carefully began cutting open the wolf's belly. After just a few snips, Little Red Riding Hood sprang out, alive and unharmed, followed by the good grandmother.

Little Red Riding Hood, the grandmother, and the huntsman then filled the wolf's belly with large stones. When the wolf woke up and tried to run away, he fell down dead. The three of them ate the cake and butter Little Red Riding Hood had brought, and lived happily ever after.

✨THE END✨

THE MORAL: The Truth About Little Red Riding Hood

Sometimes, when we are kind and trusting, we can learn the real truth about Little Red Riding Hood and her choices. This classic tale reminds us that we may meet people who don't have good intentions.

Not everyone who seems kind is good. Some people can speak very sweetly while really trying to take advantage of others, just as the wolf tried to do with Little Red Riding Hood.

It's important to listen to the warnings of those who look after us, and not to talk to strangers or trust them easily. Even when we don't always see the danger, it's better to be careful and always follow good advice.

The Story's Origins and Versions

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood has a rich history. The oldest known printed version was recorded by the Frenchman Charles Perrault (1628-1703) in 1697. His version was darker and ended, like many older folk tales, without a happy rescue, carrying an explicit moral instead.

The version you've just read, with the huntsman saving both Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, is the most popular and widespread version in the world today. It was collected and popularized by the Brothers Grimm in the 1800s and has since become the standard telling of this classic children's tale.