Little Red and Big, Bad Fred - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

Maria Marshall
11 minutes ago
4 min read

I love it when someone comes up with a great way to fracture a well-known fairy tale and give it a really unusual spin. I recently read Vole and Troll by Iza Trapani (a musical twist on the Three Billy Goats Gruff) and I adore Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim (a Chinese New Year twist on Goldie Locks).

So, I am super excited to share with you Ashley Belote's fun and memorable picture book, which combines a young boy, humorous and complex schemes and antics by a wolf, a kind-hearted Great-Grandfather, and friendship in a super fun twist on Little Red Riding Hood.

Book cover - a boy in red overalls and a red cap excitedly strides past a bush where a hungry wolf is hiding, waiting to pounce.

Little Red and Big, Bad Fred

Author/illustrator: Ashley Belote

Publisher: Random House (November 18, 2025)

Ages: 3-7

Themes:

Fractured Fairy-tale, humor, kindness, friendship, unconditional love, and pets.

Synopsis:

Little Red Riding Hood like you've never seen before! This fractured fairy-tale will have kids in stitches as Little Red optimistically befriends Fred (who may or may not try to EAT Little Red), reminding readers to always see the best in others, even when they have sharp teeth and are definitely the big, bad wolf.

Once upon a time. . . . Little Red loves to visit his great-grandfather. He makes the trip through the woods any time of year! The best part is when Little Red meets Fred along the way. Fred is the bestest, fluffiest, most amazing KITTY in the whole wide world (never mind that Little Red is completely oblivious to the fact that Fred is, in fact, a very hungry wolf that is trying to EAT HIM). When Fred gets hurt (from a trap HE set for Little Red), Little Red takes his injured friend to Great Grandfather's house. That's when Great Grandfather tells Little Red that Fred is actually ... a DOG?! EVEN BETTER. (Poor Fred.)

Little Red's positive outlook is contagious in this picture book about an unlikely friendship, the power of kindness, and keeping an open heart from the creator of Witch & Wombat and Sheepwrecked.

Opening Lines:

Going to Great-Grandpa’s is my favorite!

I get to see my friend Fred along the way.

I’m not sure if Fred is actually his name, but

he looks like a Fred, so that’s what I call him

Fred is the coolest, biggest, fluffiest . . .

What I LOVED about this book:

First off, Little Red is a boy, dressed in red overalls, cap and shoes! How awesome is that twist. Secondly he is a happy-go-lucky kid who sees the good in everyone, even the big, bad Wolf (or KITTY! as Little Red believes). And I adore the cobblestone trail leading to the cabin and the humorous cartoon thought bubbles for the wolf which leave little doubt about his nefarious intent.

Internal spread - on the left, a young boy walks down a cobble trail into the woods. On the right, hiding behind a tree is the big, bad wolf. A cabin stands in the background. Seven blur birds cluster about on the tree's branches or in a nest.

Text & Image © Ashley Belote, 2025.

When Little Red, approaches a big tree, "Fred" jumps out from behind. I snickered at how he literally "scared the $*&%" out of the birds and how Little Red is convinced that Fred is just playing hide and seek. Poor Fred. The bold, energetic, and colorful digital images are filled with fun detail and humor.

Internal spread - a boy jumps as he's startled by a wolf jumping out from behind a tree, as all seven birds also startle and poop on the wolf. On the right, the wolf wipes off the poop and the kid laughingly continues on the path in the woods.

Text & Image © Ashley Belote, 2025.

Little Red continues on to Great-Grandpa's cabin! Using the change of the seasons, Ashley Belote channels Wile E. Coyote and shows Fred creating elaborate, and of course doomed, traps for Little Red. In the summer. there's a mishap with a boat and in the fall, a blanket trap with a pie. Both times the ending result to poor Fred and his expressions will bring a bit of nostalgia to those who grew up watching Road Runner cartoons - especially when they see the box in the tree labelled, "Trick Picnic Blanket *It's a trap." And lots of giggles and chuckles by the kids, as they see (and know) what Little Red keeps missing. I love the expressions of Little Red, Fred, and the blue bird(s) which flit about each spread.

In the winter, Fred creates a frozen patch on the trail, trips over the hose, and cracks his head. Little Red, rushes to rescue him. Tossing him onto a sled tethered to a "little tikes"- like car with a snow shovel tied to the front, Little Red rushes for help. "Great-Grandpa will know what to do." It's such a great image - I think my brother had this car! When he arrives at the cabin, we discover the boy's name is "Redmond Jasper Jones" and "that is not a kitty. That's a . . . DOG!" Good thing Great-Grandpa seems a bit near-sighted and kind-hearted.

Internal spread - on the left, a boy races up to Great-Grandpa's snow-covered cabin's door pulling a sled with a dazed wolf in it. On the right, a view through the cabin window as Great-grandpa and Red discuss the wolf as he lays on the floor between them.

After begging to keep him, Little Red remarks that Fred's big ears are great for hearing commands, his big teeth are perfect for eating kibble, and his big tail is perfect for wagging. A really fun way to harken back to the original tale. Fred's facial expressions leave the reader wondering if Fred is convinced! I am not going to ruin the ending, except to say this is a picture book - so, no kid was injured in this book. But the ending is suspenseful, tender, humorous, and perfect! It's a spectacular fracture full of hilarious hijinks, childhood innocence, and friendship. A super fun twist on a familiar tale that will be entertaining for multiple readings.

Resources:

Collage of photos of a wolf origami, sock puppet, three masks, and two paper bag puppets.

make your own friendly Fred with origami, a sock puppet, a mask, or a paper bag puppet.

what fairy tale or fable would you fracture? How would you change it?

do you think Fred actually wanted to catch Little Red? Did Fred's schemes fail because he was unlucky? How would you help Fred design a trap? Write a description or draw a picture of the trap? Would it work or have funny, unintended results?

If you missed my interview with Ashley Belote on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series of blog posts by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.