Once upon a time there lived a little girl in a pretty cottage near a wood. Her father was a woodcutter who worked in the wood from morning till evening. This little girl was loved by all who knew her.
One of the people who loved her dearly was her grandmother. She lived in another pretty little cottage on the other side of the wood. The granddaughter loved her grandmother too and often went through a woodland path to visit her.
The grandmother made the little girl a red velvet hood and a cloak. The girl loved it and never went anywhere without it. The people in the neighbourhood called her ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.
One day her mother said to ‘Little Red Riding Hood, “your granny is sick. I have packed some cake, eggs, cheese and milk for her. Can you please take them to her”?. ’Little Red Riding Hood’ was only too glad to go.
She quickly put on her red cloak and hood. As her mother kissed her goodbye she said “now remember to go straight to granny’s house. Don’t delay in the wood. It is not safe there”.
Little Red Riding Hood promised her mother not to delay and set off to her granny’s cottage.
However, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ forgot her mother’s advice once she entered the wood. It was very beautiful there with brightly coloured flowers and butterflies flitting about. Birds were singing gaily.
She spent time plucking woodland flowers, watching the butterflies and listening to the birds. The little girl was so absorbed in all this that she did not notice a dark shadow nearby. Suddenly, a wolf was beside her.
“Where are you going Little Red Riding Hood”? asked the wolf.
“I am going to see my granny. She is sick. She lives on the other side of this wood” replied l the girl and realised that she had delayed in the woods. She quickly hurried off to her granny’s.
The big, bad wolf took a short cut through the wood and reached the grandmother’s cottage before ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. The wolf knocked on the door.
Granny who was expecting ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ called out ‘come in’ thinking it was her granddaughter. The grandmother was horrified to see the big bad wolf. The wolf lunged towards her and gobbled her up.
Then, the wolf put on a nightdress and a cap of the grandmother’s. He also put on her spectacles and got under the bedclothes.
A little later ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ came to the cottage and knocked on the door. ”Come in” called the big, bad wolf changing its voice. The little girl walked in and at once felt there was something strange about her grandmother.
“What large eyes you have granny” said ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.
“The better to see you, my dear” replied the big, bad wolf pretending to be the poor grandmother he had gobbled up.
“What large ears you have granny” said the girl.
“The better to hear you dear” replied the wolf.
“What large teeth you have granny” said ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.
“The better to eat you with said the big, bad wolf and leapt out of the bed to gobble poor, ‘Little Red Hiding Hood’.
The terrified girl tried to escape but the wolf was almost upon her when in rushed her father, the wood cutter. He had been near and hearing the noise from the grandmother’s cottage rushed to see what was the matter.
With one swoop of his axe he killed the big, bad wolf and took out poor grandmother who was very frightened.
‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and her father comforted granny and they left to go their cottage on the other side of the wood.