Red Riding Hood is a picture book illustrated by Frnaces Brundage and published by Stecher Litho Co, Rochester, NY, USA, in 1929. The verses were written by Julia Anne Rogers. It's one of those 'sanitized' versions where the conflict between the protagonist (Little Red Cap) and antagonist (Big Bad Wolf) is avoided as much as possible. You'll notice the wolf only twice: once running through the wood and once already dead.
Above is the frontispiece of the picture book. Not just the frontispiece, about half of the book, is printed in two colors only: black and red in different shades. The reason is simple - greater profit margin. The other half is printed in full-color technique.
The combination of the banner and illustration is something usual for Frances Brundage who excelled at designing picture postcards.
The first two illustrations are spent on the red hood, made by Granny. While we all understand the importance of the symbolic act of making and giving the hood to the granddaughter, the illustrator probably just tried to create the comfy feel of the story and use the planned space because the drawings of the wolf were just not so appealing.
Now we can start with the story. Granny is ill, so Red Riding Hood should bring her some food.
Yes, we are aware of the warnings: don't talk to strangers, don't stray from the pat, always listen to your mother. If kids followed such rules, the life would be boring and literature close to non-existent.
The famous scene with flower picking is one of the most popular ones among the illustrators of Red riding hood. Frances Brundage was no exception.
We don't see the scene where Red Riding Hood meets the wolf. Creators of the book decided this scene is not necessary. It's up to you to agree or disagree with such change of the fairy tale.
In this version of the story, the wolf doesn't eat the Granny. He actually doesn't eat at all. When he is spotted, Granny asks for help and the woodcutter is ready to kill.
Little girl arrives just in time - to celebrate the death of the beast.
It's time to party!
In my humble opinion, the Red Ring Hood above is a complete waste of time. It doesn't possess the conflict, there is no suspense, no magic, ... I presented it just for Frances Brundage's illustrations which are definitely worth looking at.
If you would like to find out more about the rich and occasionally dark background of the classic Red Riding Hood, don't hesitate to check: https://owlcation.com/humanities/red_riding_hood
If you would like to find out more about the rich and occasionally dark background of the classic Red Riding Hood, don't hesitate to check: https://owlcation.com/humanities/red_riding_hood