Little Red Riding Hood

In his introduction to this beautiful, violent tale, Luciano Pavarotti suggests that these illustrations will leave you breathless. That's an understatement. For many, Perrault's original version will be unfamiliar - it concludes with the wolf eating Red Riding Hood (in this faithful, economical translation, devouring her). Montresor - an admired set designer as well as a Caldecott medalist (1965) - provides a theatrical setting with elegant architectural forms and a stylized forest in finely detailed black touched with soft color; the dapper, white-suited wolf is an appealingly furry seducer, his victim a blond innocent. The illustrations deliberately refer to Dore's famous engravings (1867); two of the most dramatic poses are almost identical to Dore, but Montresor carries the tale into the 20th century with his extraordinary final pictures: the wolf swallowing the child as an act of love as well as ferocity; then three textless spreads of Red Riding Hood, unhurt, within the complacent wolf like a child awaiting birth, floating pure on a field of scarlet that recalls her cloak. In the last, the huntsman-savior appears in a pillar of light. Some will be troubled by the terror and sexuality in these brooding, exquisite illustrations; others will respond to their beauty and to the skill with which the artist has revealed the tale's mythic power. Definitely not for preschoolers, but a valid interpretation to fascinate and challenge older readers. (Kirkus Reviews)