Little Red Riding Hood

fairy tale · folklore · classic story

A girl's journey. Little Red Riding Hood is about a young girl traveling through the woods, often to visit her grandmother. The story has been told for hundreds of years and comes from old European folk tales.

The Big Bad Wolf. A cunning wolf is the main character who tricks the girl in the story. Different versions show the wolf behaving in different ways, from clever to downright dangerous.

Very old origins. People have been telling versions of this story since before the 1600s, passing it down orally through families and villages. The French author Charles Perrault wrote one of the first published versions.

Heroes and helpers. In some versions, especially ones told by the Brothers Grimm in the 1800s, a brave woodsman appears to help save the day. This added more hope and adventure to the tale.

A story that spread. The tale traveled across Europe and changed slightly in each place people told it, showing how stories grow and change as they pass from person to person.