Little Red Riding Hood, Reimagined in Unusual Die-Cut Illustrations
by Maria Popova“What big eyes you have!”
The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have a long history of reimaginings over the centuries, spanning the full spectrum between the dark and the delightful — from David Hockney’s vintage take to, most recently, artist Andrea Dezsö’s enchanting black-and-white illustrations and Neil Gaiman’s wonderful retelling of Hansel and Gretel. But perhaps no other Grimm tale has bewitched the popular imagination more than Little Red Riding Hood (public library | IndieBound), newly interpreted by French children’s book author and illustrator Clementine Sourdais in an unusual little book that nourishes my hunger for all things die-cut. It is undoubtedly the most refreshing take on the classic tale since Edward Gorey’s reimagining.
Sourdais renders tangible the interplay of light and shadow that makes the tale so beloved: The story unfolds, quite literally, across a series of black-white-and-red vignettes, delicately detailed in cut-outs, with a sensibility partway between mid-century pop-up and contemporary comic.
Supplement Sourdais’s Little Red Riding Hood, which makes a fine addition to the year’s best children’s books, with this minimalist infographic animation based on the beloved story, then revisit the little-known original edition of the Grimm tales.
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