Once upon a time, there was a child named Harper who lived with their mother in a little house in the mountains. The house was snuggled right between two tall, green trees. They were so close together that they looked like two giant fingers pointing up to the sky.
Harper loved to play pretend. She especially loved to play Unicorns. She’d gallop around the mountain, pretending her hair was a flowing, white mane, and her fingers were the horn of a magical unicorn. She was such a good pretend player that even though she had curly blonde hair and blue eyes, it was easy to believe she was a beautiful, magical unicorn! But more than anything, Harper adored her grandmother. Her grandmother had sewn Harper a red hood to keep her warm, and because of this, everyone called Harper Little Red Riding Hood. The hood looked great on Harper, especially considering her blue eyes and blonde hair. It made her look like a real princess!
One day, Harper’s mother asked her to go to her grandmother’s house in the next valley. “Grandma is feeling a bit sick, and she needs your help,” her mother explained. “You know, Harper, the path through the forest is shorter, but it’s also more dangerous,” her mother continued. “You are a friendly person, and a friendly person should always choose the safer road.”
Harper’s mother prepared a basket full of delicious food to help care for her grandmother. There were apples, strawberries, and a delicious cake with a special frosting that made it look like a thousand tiny stars. Nothing helps an illness better than a meal made with love! “I promise I’ll come back tomorrow,” Little Red Riding Hood said, giving her mother a big hug. “And I won’t eat any of the food,” she said, because she was such a good, friendly person.
As soon as Little Red Riding Hood left the house, she met a wolf. The wolf was evil, but he pretended to be kind. “Where are you going, Little Red Riding Hood?” he asked. “I’m taking food to my grandmother. She’s sick,” Harper answered. The wolf said goodbye and went on his way. So did Little Red Riding Hood.
Harper took the longer but safer path. But what she didn’t know was that the wolf had taken the forest path and planned to reach her grandmother’s house before her. And so he did.
The wolf arrived at the grandmother’s house and ate the old lady in one bite! Then, the wolf dressed in the grandmother’s clothes, so he could pretend to be her.
When Harper arrived at her grandmother’s house, she found her appearance strange. “Grandma, why are your eyes so big?” she asked. The wolf, disguised as the grandmother, said, “It’s to see you better, Little Red Riding Hood!” Then Harper asked, “Grandma, why is your nose so big?” And the disguised wolf answered, “It’s to smell you better!” Finally, Harper asked, “Grandma, why is your mouth so big?” The wolf couldn’t resist any longer and pounced on Harper, saying, “It’s to taste you better!”
A wise old woodsman, who had magical powers, was walking through the forest. He heard Harper in trouble. Before the wolf could eat Little Red Riding Hood, the old man entered the house and saved the child.
The magical woodsman enchanted the wolf, making him tame and gentle. Then, he put him to sleep. “The wolf ate my grandmother!” Harper told the woodsman. The woodsman smiled and said, “No evil can defeat goodness!” With just a wave of his hands, he freed the grandmother from the wolf’s belly!
Harper hugged her beloved grandmother! “Thank you, kind woodsman,” Harper said, her red hood covering her curly hair. “You can have some of the delicious food that my mother made for Grandma.”
That night, Harper, her grandmother, and the magical woodsman enjoyed the delicious food made by Harper’s mother.
And doesn’t this story make you hungry?
