Mighty Red Riding Hood

A Fairly Queer Tale

Contributors

By Wallace West

On Sale
May 10, 2022
Page Count
40 pages
ISBN-13
9780316628358

A Lambda Literary Award winner

In this clever twist on a traditional tale, a boy who loves his frilly, swishy riding hood turns the tables on a big, bad, bullying wolf!


Better not mess with Little Red when he’s got on his favorite frilly red riding hood! It makes him feel happier than a pig in mud, more special than a birthday cake, and mighty as a firecracker. Nothing’s gonna stop him from being himself…Not even a big ol’ bully of a WOLF! With admirable spunk and a heaping helping of southern humor and hospitality, Little Red finds a way to crack the shell of the closed-minded wolf’s perception of frills and bows.

This refreshingly spirited version of the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood explores the challenge of staying on your path when confronted by strangers who don’t want to understand you.

Don’t miss the next Fairly Queer Tale, Cinda Meets Ella!

  • “This book is for all the Little Reds who long to be firecrackers. (And for all the big wolves who long to do better.”
    Victoria J. Coe, author of the Fenway and Hattie series
  • “'Durn’ funny…our self-assured, chic protagonist is a joyful model of a ‘I’ll do me, you do you’ attitude. The narrative tone has a sassy irreverence, adding to the story’s overall charm.”
    Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
  • “West obviously has had great fun telling his fractured fairy tale in a rustic backwoods dialect and matches it with cartoon-style pictures that capture the antic tone of the text perfectly. His genderflipped classic painlessly defies gender norms to empowering effect.”
    Booklist
  • "A charming, colorful reminder to unabashedly embrace yourself and all your fabulous fancies."
    Christie Grimm, Chief Creative Officer of Guest of a Guest
  • “Red’s impeccable style and unshakeable confidence are a charming reminder—to kids and adults alike—that we all have the right to express ourselves unapologetically.” 
    Roxanne Fequiere, writer, fashion and lifestyle journalist
  • “The book I wish I had as a kid, and one I'll give to many—in hopes of leading them to self-acceptance and self-love.” 
    Siddhartha V. Shah, Director of Education and Civic Engagement and Curator of South Asian Art of the Peabody Essex Museum
  • “With all the amiability of Todd Parr, the loose cartoon drawing style of the fractured fairy tales from Saturday morning’s Bullwinkle & Rocky, and the wide-open welcome of Jonathan Van Ness, this story turns Red Riding Hood inside out and reveals a Southern-fried story of keeping things friendly no matter our differences….The language will have children laughing, the lesson is sensible not syrupy, and the ending a pure surprise. A classic in the making, for all fairy-tale shelves, and sure to be a read-aloud favorite.”
    School Library Journal

Formats and Prices

Price

$17.99

Price

$22.99 CAD

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $17.99 $22.99 CAD

Wallace West

About the Author

Wallace West is the author of the first Fairly Queer Tale, Mighty Red Riding Hood, which School Library Journal described as “a classic in the making, for all fairy-tale shelves, and sure to be a read-aloud favorite.” A Texas native now rooted in the Northeast, he spends the rest of his time in faraway places and has more than once galloped on horseback through the woods of Normandy. Wallace says he wrote these Fairly Queer Tales because “I want to show non-genderconforming kids that being queer is an exciting and empowering kind of different, and that happily-ever-after feels the same—even if it doesn’t look the same—for everyone.” He invites you to see more of his work at wallacewest.com.

Learn more about this author