cover image Little Red Gliding Hood

Little Red Gliding Hood

Tara Lazar, illus. by Troy Cummings. Random, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-385-37006-6

An icy enchanted forest is home to a bevy of fairy tale characters, including Little Red Gliding Hood, an ice skater set on winning a new pair of skates in a skating competition. Lazar packs her story with fairy tale–based jokes as Little Red finds an ally in the Big Bad Wolf, who is also a capable skater. The competition gets off to a rocky start (“The wolf frightened Little Miss Muffet away. She bumped Little Jack Horner into the corner. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall”), but Little Red and the wolf emerge victorious. Cummings’s cartoons feel as slick as ice, creating a playful backdrop for Lazar’s wintry nursery rhyme punning. Ages 2–5. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, Herman Agency. (Oct.)