Little Red Riding Hood

Title: Little Red Riding Hood or "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge."

Sources: 
Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book (London, ca. 1889), pp. 51-53. 
Lang's source: Charles Perrault, Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités: Contes de ma mère l'Oye(Paris, 1697).

Summary: There once was a very beautiful little girl who lived in the country. Her mother loved her very much, and her grandmother loved her even more. In fact, she even had a cape made for the young girl. It was red and suited her well. One day, Little Red Riding Hood's mother asked her to take some cakes to her grandmother, who was ill. She set out right away, but in the woods between the villages Red met a wolf. The wolf wanted to eat her, but he didn't dare because of the many woodcutters that were working in the area. Instead, he asked her where she was going. Red, unaware of the dangers in talking to strangers, tells him where her grandmother lives and he challenges her to a race there. 

Pretending to be Red, the wold persuades the grandmother to let him into her house, where he promptly eats her. When Red arrives, he gives her the same instructions the grandmother gave him to open the door. He tells her to put the cakes down on the table and to get into bed with him. She removes her clothes and does so, but notices his large arms (the better to hug you with), big legs (the better to run with), big ears (the better to hear with), and big eyes (the better to see you with). 

When she finally comments on his big teeth, the wolf eats Red too. 

Cultural Origins: The first publication of this story was by Charles Perrault around 1697 in France. It was told by French peasants as early as the 10th century. 

Audience: This is a true classic, and it teaches an important lesson about not talking to strangers. I would say that this is a tale you can easily adapt to tell to even the youngest child. I think it's most appropriate for a school or library setting. 

Adaptation Ideas: There have been so many different versions of this tale, it's hard to know what to suggest. I think, depending on the audience, you should definitely adapt the ending. In this version, the woodcutters are mentioned, but none come to save the day. I think it would provide a nice circular plot to the story to include a woodcutting savior for the grandmother and Red Riding Hood. Depending on the audience as well, I might not mention Red's potential nudity. It would also be interesting to hear more about the wolf's perspective during the story. Does he become annoyed with all of Red's questions?