“Little Red Riding-Hood.” Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers, London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 19-23.

Tale Summary

There was once a pretty country girl who was loved dearly by her mother and grandmother, who gifted her a red riding hood, which is how the girl’s nickname “Little Red Riding-Hood” came to be. One day, Little Red’s mother made some custards and instructed the girl to carry them and a pot of butter to her grandmother, who was ill and lived on the other side of the wood. As she is walking in the forest, Little Red comes across Gaffer Wolf, who wants to eat her up but can’t because of nearby woodsmen. He asks where she is going, and she tells him because she does not realize the danger. The wolf suggests that they each take separate paths to see who can get there faster. Little Red takes a longer time, as she is distracted by flowers and butterflies, and Gaffer Wolf makes it there first. He knocks on the door, pretending to be Little Red, and then eats up the grandmother. By the time Little Red arrives, he is waiting for her in bed. She is tricked and remarks on how different her grandmother looks. When she gets close enough and notices what big teeth ‘she’ has, the wolf eats her up.

Fairy Tale Title

Little Red Riding-Hood

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault, J. Saxon Childers

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None listed

Common Tale Type

Little Red Riding Hood

Tale Classification

ATU 333

Page Range of Tale

pp. 31-36

Full Citation of Tale

“Little Red Riding-Hood.” Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers, London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 19-23.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

This is the moral of the tale:

"From this short Story easy we discern,
What Conduct all young People ought to learn.
But above all, young growing Misses fair,
Whose orient rosy Blooms begin t’appear:
Who, Beauties in the fragrant Spring of Age,
White pretty Airs young Hearts are apt t’engage,
Ill do they listen to all Sorts of Tongues,
Since some enchant and lure like Syrens’ Songs.
No wonder therefore, ‘tis, if over-powered,
So many of them has the Wolf devour’d.
The Wolf, I say, for Wolves too sure there are
Of every Sort, and every Character.
Some of them mild and gentle humour’d be,
Of Noise and Gall, and Rancour wholly free;
Who tame, familiar, full of Complaisance,
Ogle and lear, languish, cajole, and glance;
With luring Tongues, and Language wond’rous
Sweet,
Follow young Ladies as they walk the Street,
Ev’n to their very Houses, nay, beside,
And artful, tho’ their true Designs they hide:
Yet ah! These simpering Wolves, who does not see,
Most dang’rous of all Wolves in fact they be?"