The Little Red Wolf - Amélie Fléchais - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Amélie Fléchais

TRANSLATOR: Jeremy Melloul

GENRE: Graphic Novel

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: An interesting graphic novel that retells ‘Red Riding Hood’ from the point of view of the wolf. Different in plotline, but as dark as (or possibly darker than) the original. Quirky and deep.

Story Synopsis:

A little wolf wears his beloved red cape and trots off across the forest to deliver some yummy dead rabbits to his grandma. His mother warns him not to stride away from the path, but kids being kids, the wolf goes meandering here and there and everywhere, until he finds himself lost. As he plops down on the forest floor crying his heart out, a sweet girl approaches him and offers to help him. But as we all know, the forest can’t be home to any sweet girl.

This graphic novel was originally published in French under the title ‘Le Petit Loup Rouge’ in 2014. This English translation by Jeremy Melloul comes out in October 2023.

‘Red Riding Hood’ has never been among my favourite fairy tales as I could never fathom how a girl misunderstood a wolf to be her grandmother. Thankfully, this modified version avoids that silly scene, providing a more sensible experience on the whole.

The little wolf is a typical youngster, agreeing to what his mother says and then doing his own thing. When his stomach started growling and he wondered about eating some parts of the yummy rabbit he was carrying to his grandma’s, his enthusiastic justifications alleviated the macabre feel of the scene. It was a weird yet funny experience.

I loved the angle taken in the second half, even though a couple of important scenes were rushed. It offers a great example of how deflection of blame works in clearing oneself of wrongdoing and shoving the onus onto someone else. The animal vs. human angle also comes out well through the plot, as does the tendency to judge others by looks.

Moreover, many people assume that fairy tales are happy stories, courtesy the abridged versions and adaptations that have flooded the market. (I am looking at you, Disney!) I love how this story retains the darkness of the original while still offering its young readers some solace at the end.

At the same time, I think this version sanitises the image of wolves a tad too much. They might be related to our beloved dogs, but they are predators as well, albeit not selfish ones as humans are. Making the wolves sound as adorable as their domesticated canine counterparts isn’t justifiable. Also, the wolf is a pack animal, so I didn’t agree with the depiction of the wolf family as a nuclear unit, on the lines of human families. The final rescue also should have surely involved the pack.

A note at the beginning mentions that this book is loosely based on the tale ‘The Red Riding Hood’ by Charles Perrault. However, the ending of the Perrault version was much darker, and definitely disappointing to HEA lovers. This graphic adaptation provides a somewhat more satisfying, if sombre, ending. While the ending is easy to guess, it is still a great one as it drives home the point of the story without using too much moralising.

Though this is a fairy tale retelling, it is definitely not for younger children, especially sensitive littlies who might burst into tears at seeing a cute (dead) rabbit being chomped off in bits and pieces. But to the teen crowd and older readers, the retelling offers much to think about.

The illustrations are marvellous. They fall into two distinct colour tones. When the little wolf is in a safer position walking through the jungle, we have the bright greens and yellows of the forest popping out from the page. But when his journey turns dangerous, the colour palette becomes somewhat monochromatic, with all the colours muted except for red, thus serving to intensify the danger. I loved the artwork, even when it was too creepy. It was perfect for the story.

All in all, I enjoyed this graphic adaptation of the fairy tale to a great extent. Appropriately dark and filled with important themes, it offers a satiating experience to the eyes as well as to the mind.

4.25 stars. (I read this with my daughter. She gave it 4.5, I gave it a 4. Averaging the two ratings.)

My thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Little Red Wolf”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.