In honor of Marissa Meyer’s upcoming release of Scarlet, A Backwards Story is presenting A Week of Little Red.

This event was perfect for me to join because 1) I am so, so excited for Scarlet and 2) This month is Fairy Tale February here on Alice in Readerland.

So in this post celebrating all things Little Red Riding Hood in anticipation of Scarlet, you’ll find fashion ideas for an updated Little Red look, an adorable Little Red Riding Hood dog, cute Little Red photos, Little Red fun facts, and a review of a Little Red Riding Hood retelling set in modern day!

Fun Fact

In some of the earliest tales of Little Red Riding Hood, there wasn’t even a red hood! Charles Perrault was the one who wrote Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, which would cement the iconic red cape in Little Red Riding Hood history. 

Part I

Want an Updated Little Red Look?

A Modern Look for Little Red’s iconic cape:

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Or you could let your little wolf try out the Little Red look:

Product via CharlieHeartsDiesel on Etsy

For a simpler Little Red look, you can try a scarf in the same bold red color:

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Or you could try this red hoodie:

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You can also get this adorable postcard:

Product via minoule on Etsy

This purrfect Little Red Riding Hood Cat postcard:

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Or this gorgeous photo of Little Red in Venice:

Product via FollowTheRaven on Etsy

And of course, read Marissa Meyer’s Scarlet:

Part II

A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling

The ideal L.A. fairy tale for fans of Once Upon a Time and L.A. Candy, from the author of Geek Charming.

Sophie Greene gets good grades, does the right thing, and has a boyfriend that her parents— and her younger brother—just love. (Too bad she doesn’t love him.) Sophie dreams of being more like Devon Deveraux, star of her favorite romance novels, but, in reality, Sophie isn’t even daring enough to change her nail polish. All of that changes when Sophie goes to Florida to visit her grandma Roz, and she finds herself seated next to a wolfishly goodlooking guy on the plane. The two hit it off, and before she knows it, Sophie’s living on the edge. But is the drama all it’s cracked up to be?

Everyone—from her best friends to the donut guy—seem to think they know who Sophie is, or more accurately, isn’t. Whether she wants to paint her nails Dark Midnight instead of pink, try on a zebra dress, get a Boston cream instead of her regular apple cider donut, or buy a red cowboy hat, she keeps getting the same answer from everyone: “You’re not that kinda girl, Sophie.” But Sophie’s sick of being the “good-grade-getting, always-home-before-curfew-, finish-all-her-vegetables Sophie,” and is determined to be like her favorite fictional book character: Devon Devoreaux.

On Sophie’s way to her Grandmother’s house in the woods retirement community in Florida, she meets a guy with a wolfish grin who nicknames her “Red,” and she has the chance to become the girl she’s always dreamed of being…but is it what she really wants?

 Something I loved about this book was Sophie’s grandmother. Sophie’s always known her grandmother for being the cranky lady who calls to update about her latest burial outfit decision, but it was interesting to get to see Sophie learn more about her grandmother’s past—and the truth behind the family heirloom—to help Sophie make her own decision about what she wants in life. I also loved seeing Sophie’s character develop, from attempting to live like her favorite character, to reconsidering what she really does want out of a relationship. Overall, this was a fun retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in modern day.

 Favorite Quote

 “I write what people want to read. And people like to read fairy tales. It’s not like they want to read about real life.” 

3 out of 5 teacups

 (I just have to say this: In the book, the main character’s first name is Sophie. Her idol’s last name is Devoreaux. If you can connect those to name one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite TV shows, you’ll get a big YOU ARE AWESOME from me.)

Fun Fact

Like most fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood has multiple versions with multiple endings. In early versions of the tale, Little Red doesn’t survive—yikes! 

Remember to stick around Readerland for more Fairy Tale February posts!