Key takeaways
- The personalised Little Red Riding Hood suits roughly ages 3 to 7.
- The retelling keeps the suspense but drops the scary parts: the woodcutter chases the wolf off and everyone shares the cake.
- Three family members can take parts: the mother, the grandmother and the woodcutter.
- The eight-page example book was made from one photo in the luminous drawing look.
Little Red Riding Hood has a complete example book on I Am In The Story, so rather than describe it in general terms, we read the whole thing. It’s “Luna and the Bright Red Cloak”: eight pages made from one photo, in the luminous drawing look at low strength. Luna doesn’t exist: her photo is AI-generated, which the example page says openly.
How the story goes
The doorway. Luna’s mother holds out a basket of cake for Grandmother: “Keep to the path, and do not stop to talk to anyone.” Luna is already in her bright red cloak.
The forest. She sets off with the basket “swinging gently on one arm”, the red cloak shining among the trees, while a woodcutter whistles nearby as he gathers sticks. He matters later.
The wolf. A grey wolf steps out between the trees and asks, in a friendly voice, where she’s going. Luna tells him, “forgetting Mother’s warning for a moment”, which is the lesson of the whole tale in one gentle line.
The flowers. The wolf points away from the path to a bank of flowers (“Grandmother would love a bunch”), and while Luna picks a small bunch he takes the short way through the trees to the cottage. The picture shows him trotting off in the distance, which young listeners love to spot.
The cottage. What big ears, what big eyes, and what big teeth you have! The wolf flings off the nightcap, and Luna turns towards the open door, where help is waiting.
The ending. “Away you go!” calls the woodcutter, and the wolf runs out of the woods for good. Grandmother was safe all along, resting in the pantry, and the last page has Luna, Grandmother and the woodcutter sharing the cake, the wildflowers in a little jug: “Next time, I’ll keep to the path.”
What we liked, and what to know
The retelling is the right side of scary. The Grimm version, where the wolf eats grandmother and a huntsman cuts her out, isn’t something most parents want at bedtime. This one keeps the suspense that makes children lean in (the big teeth, the nightcap flying off) and resolves it with a woodcutter, a grandmother who was in the pantry all along, and cake.
Luna looks like the same child on every page, and so does the cloak, which matters more than you’d think: a small child notices immediately if “their” cloak changes colour.
One thing to be aware of: the story is gentle enough that some older children, seven or eight, may find it a bit young. For them we’d go with Peter Pan or Jack and the Beanstalk instead.
Who it suits
| Best age | About 3 to 7 |
| Heroes | One, or two with a sibling |
| Family parts | Mother, grandmother, woodcutter |
| Mood | Gentle suspense, happy ending |
| Good for | A first personalised book, a present from grandma |
Making it special
Put grandma in as grandmother and dad or an uncle in as the woodcutter, and the whole family’s in it. There’s more on that in books from grandparents. The luminous drawing look of the example suits this tale; watercolour is softer if the child is very young (compare them in the styles guide).
If your child likes this one, Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel tend to go down well next. All the tales are in our fairy tale round-up.
Make a personalised Little Red Riding Hood on iaminthestory.com.
Frequently asked questions
Is it too scary for a three-year-old?
We don't think so. The wolf is sly rather than frightening, the "big teeth" moment ends with his nightcap flying off, and nobody gets eaten. Most three-year-olds enjoy the suspense.
Can a boy be Little Red Riding Hood?
Yes. The hero is your child, red cloak and all, and the text is written around them.
Can grandma really be in it?
Yes. Grandmother is one of the parts, so you add her photo and she's the one waiting in the cottage.
Pick a fairy tale, add your child
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Little Red Riding Hood
Through the woods to grandmother's house
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