Lon Po Po by Edward Young

Young, E. (1989). Lon po po: A red riding hood story from China. New York, NY: Penguin

      Putnam Books for Young Readers.

Lon Po Po by Edward Young is the Chinese variation of the little red riding hood folktale. In this version, the mother of three young girls leaves the house to visit their sick grandmother. Upon seeing the mother leave, a sinister wolf thinly disguised as the grandmother comes to the house. The oldest of the siblings, Shang, soon realizes this visitor is not what she seems and tricks the wolf resulting in his demise! This clever story shows the young girls outwitting the wolf which is in contrast to our idea of the traditional red riding hood tale in which the young girl must be saved by someone else. Shang, the eldest, is a smart and cunning girl that essentially saves her own life and her sisters’ lives. She is a great role model for young girls. I have actually used this picture book in my classroom in the past. I read Lon Po Po aloud and then read the traditional red riding hood tale. My students had to compare and contrast the two stories using a venn diagram. The focused on the similarities and differences between the plots, settings, themes, and characters of the two tales. To extend the lesson, I had my students write a persuasive paragraph. In the paragraph they needed to state which version was their favorite and also try to persuade others to agree with them. My students were very intrigued by the idea of familiar folktales being told in slightly different ways in other countries. Personally, I prefer Lon Po Po over the traditional tale because it values ingenuity and cleverness especially in young girls. The messages of working together, problem solving, and determination are admirable. The lesson from this story would be beneficial in any elementary classroom.

(Image from www.scholastic.com)