Red Riding Hood

De Regniers's verse, while it does rhyme, is by no means sing-song and is at times even delightfully puzzling. Phrases and exclamations dangle from the beginnings and ends of couplets--at first glance slightly misplaced, but also somehow appropriate and enriching. (All the better to amuse you with, my dear.) The illustrations are, in typical Gorey fashion, simultaneously spare and expressive. Though the drawings are primarily black and white, specific and random items are colored scarlet: the wolf's tongue, the grandmother's slippers, the feather in the woodsman's cap, and of course, the titular riding hood. (All the better to entrance you with, my dear.) Even if your kids know the story of "Red Riding Hood" by heart, this edition, with its unusual verse and priceless illustrations, will win their special and undivided attention. (Ages 4 to 8)