Little Red Riding Hood – Aesop’s Fables

Everyone knows the story of the “Little Red Riding Hood“. It is the most popular children’s story in the world. However not many know that this story is a part of a well known stories called the Aesop’s Fables . It is the story of a girl who faces the consequences of not listening to her mother…..

Story

Once upon a time, there was tiny village near the forest. In the village lived a sweet little girl. The girl lived with her Mother. She was very nice to everyone. Everyone loved the girl and everyone talked to her. Her grandmother loved her the most.

One day, the grandmother gave her a little cap which was bright red in colour. The girl loved the cap so much that she wore it all the time. Because of this, she was called “Little Red Riding Hood”.

One day her mother called her and gave her a basket.

“Come here, Little Red Riding Hood. This basket has a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother. She is ill and weak and this will help her. Walk nicely and quietly. Do not walk away from the main path.”

“I will be very careful, Mummy”, said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother.

“When you go into her house, don’t forget to say “Good Morning”. When you are leaving, don’t forget to say “Good Bye” and give her a kiss.”

“I will not forget, Mummy”, said Little Red Riding hood

Her grandmother lived in a little wooden house in the forest. The house not far from the village. Little Red Riding Hood was dancing and singing as she entered the woods. Here she saw a wicked wolf. Little Red Riding Hood was very nice and kind. She did not know that the wolf was wicked and was very bad. She was not afraid of him.

“Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,” the wolf said.

“Good day, Mister wolf.”

“Where are you going so early in the morning, Little Red Riding Hood?”

“To my grandmother’s house in the forest.”

“What do you have in your basket?”

“Cake and wine. My grandmother is sick and this will help her to make her stronger.”

“Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?”

“A little farther on in the wood. Her house is near the three large oak-trees. You surely must know it,” replied Little Red Riding Hood.

The wolf thought, “What a tasty young creature. She will be more tasty to eat than the old woman. I must be cunning.  I must be smart and eat them both.”

So the wolf said, “Little Red Riding Hood, the flowers near the river are very pretty and smell so fresh. You can pluck some flowers for your grandmother and she will like it very much.”

“How right you are, Mister Wolf. I shall make the most beautiful bunch of flowers for my Grandmother”

The Little Red Riding Hood started to pick the flowers fast.

“Why are you choosing all the flowers? Slow and steadily choose the most pretty flowers”, said the wolf cunningly.

“Right you are, Mister Wolf” said the girl and carefully started picking the flowers.

The wolf turned and ran to the grandmother’s house and knocked at the door.

“Who is it? Is it my granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood?”

“Yes, I am the Little Red Riding Hood,” said the wolf. “I have brought you fresh cake and wine so that you can get better, Grandmother.”

The Grandmother opened the door and before she could open her mouth, the wolf ate her in one swallow.

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Then he went to her closet and put on her clothes. He wore a nice cap and lied down in the bed.

The young girl finally finished picking the flowers and arranged them into a nice boquet. She happily came to the house and saw the door open.

“Good Morning, Grandmother” she said but the wolf did not answer.

So the girl went to the bed. Her grandmother was lying there covered with a blanket and a cap over her face.

She said, “Grandmother, my dear Grandmother, you have such big ears.”

“The big ears can help me hear you better, my dear Grand daughter,” said the wolf.

“But, Grandmother, such big round eyes you have,” she said.

“The big eyes can help me see you better, my dear Grand daughter,” said the wolf.

“But, Grandmother, such large furry hands you have.”

“The big hands can help me hug you better, my dear Grand daughter,” said the wolf.

“But, Grandmother, what a huge mouth you have.”

“The large mouth can help me eat you better, my dear Grand daughter,” said the wolf and jumped out and swallowed up Little Red Riding Hood.

The wolf was very full and happy. He lay down in the bed and soon was fast asleep. The wolf then began to snore very loudly. The snoring was so lout, a hunter head this and came into the house.

The hunter enters the story

The hunter thought “How loud is this old woman snoring. I should wake her up and see if she wants anything”

When the hunter came into the hut, he saw a fat wolf sleeping in it and snoring loudly.

The hunter saw that the belly of the wolf was moving.

“Oh you wicked creature, have you swallowed the Grandmother?”

He took out a pair of scissors, and cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf.

The little girl sprang out, crying, “How scary it is! How scary it is to be eaten by a wolf!”

The aged grandmother came out also shouting, “How scary it is! How scary it is to be eaten by a wolf!”

Little Red Riding Hood and the hunter quickly found large stones. They filled the belly of the wolf with the stones and woke him up. The wolf saw the hunter and tried to run away

But alas, the stones were so heavy that he tripped and fell many times. Soon he was so tired that he fell dead.

Then all three were very happy. The grandmother and the hunter ate the cake and drank the wine.

The girl learnt a lesson. “I will never ever ever again leave the path and run into the woods. When my mother has told me not to enter the woods, I should never do it again. I will always listen to my mother”

Moral of the story:

“Listen to your elders, especially your parents”

Other stories which you can read

Questions

1. Who are the main characters of the story?
2. Why did the little red riding hood want to visit her grandmother?
3. Who tricks and eats the grandmother?
4. Who saves little red riding hood?
5. What is the moral of the story?

Answers:

1. The main characters of the story are a wolf, a girl called little red riding hood and her grandmother.
2. The grandmother was sick and little red riding hood wanted to go and give her some wine and food.
3. The big bad wolf tricks and eats little red riding hood’s grandmother.
4. Little red riding hood and her grandmother are saved by the hunter
5. The moral of the Aesop’s Fable is that “Listen to your elders, especially your parents”