Red Riding Hood meets the wolf on the path

From the archive | Red Riding Hood

Author/illustrator James Mayhew selects Red Riding Hood as his favourite Helen Oxenbury book

I’ll choose her Red Riding Hood, with Beatrix Potter’s text. It’s no mean feat to follow in Potter’s footsteps, but it’s a triumph. In fact, I can’t think of any other illustrator who could have pulled it off so splendidly. It’s clearly Helen’s work, but there is a line, through history, from Beatrix to Helen, and there is a tradition in common – of observation, study, research, understanding animals, clothes, people and the ability to show expression. Indeed, in that last regard, Helen is far superior. The dapper fox, the bemused Red Riding hood, the balance between colour and black and white… it’s a jewel of a book, a piece of perfection. 

James Mayhew is the award-winning author and illustrator known for the Katie series introducing children to works of art. His books include Once Upon a Tune and A Symphony of Stories, celebrating the worlds of music, myth, and storytelling.

red riding hood, wolf putting on Grandma's clothes
Red Riding Hood book cover

Red Riding Hood
was published by Penguin Random House Children’s UK in 2019.
It is still in print