One sunny morning, Little Red puts on her favorite red cloak. Her mom has a job for her. "Your grandmother is sick," Mom says. "Can you take this medicine to her?" Little Red nods. She knows the way to Grandmother's house in the woods. "Stay on the path," Mom tells her. "Be safe!" Little Red starts walking. The sun is warm. Birds sing in the trees. She sees pretty flowers by the path. Then she spots big footprints in the dirt. They look fresh. They go into the dark woods, away from the path.
Little Red remembers her mom's words. "Stay on the path," she thinks. She holds her basket tight and walks on. The path is long, but Little Red knows it well. She sees happy rabbits hop by. Pretty birds tweet sweet songs. After walking a bit more, she hears a soft sound. Someone is walking behind her! She turns to look. There stands a tall gray wolf. He wears a crooked bow tie and holds a gold pocket watch. "My, my!" says the wolf with a big smile. "Where are you going on this fine day, little one?"
Little Red looks at the wolf's fancy bow tie. He seems nice and polite. "I'm going to my grandmother's house," she says. "She is sick, and I have medicine for her." "How kind of you!" says the wolf. His eyes shine bright. "Where does your dear grandmother live?" "In the little house past the oak tree," Little Red tells him. "The one with blue shutters and pretty flowers." The wolf checks his gold watch. "Oh my! Look at the time. I must run along now." He bows and hurries away. Little Red watches him go. He runs very fast into the woods. She thinks it was nice to meet such a polite wolf. She keeps walking on the path. The trees grow thicker now. Less sun shines through. Soon she sees two paths ahead. One is the normal way to Grandmother's house. The other is a shorter path through a meadow of bright flowers.
Little Red looks at the pretty flowers in the meadow. "This way is shorter," she thinks. "I can pick flowers for Grandmother too!" She steps off the main path into the sunny meadow. The flowers are red and yellow and purple. Butterflies dance in the air. Little Red picks some flowers as she walks. She adds them to her basket with the medicine. The sweet smell makes her smile. But the meadow path is not easy. Tall grass tangles around her feet. Thorny bushes catch her cloak. The ground is bumpy and wet. "Oh dear," she says. "This is harder than I thought." After a long time walking, Little Red finally sees Grandmother's house. The blue shutters look different somehow. The pretty flowers in the garden droop sadly. She walks up to the door. Something feels strange. The door is open a tiny bit.
Little Red takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. Tap, tap, tap! "Who is it?" calls a voice from inside. The voice sounds rough and odd, not like Grandmother's sweet voice at all. "It's me, Little Red," she says. "I brought your medicine, Grandmother!" "Come in, dear!" says the strange voice, trying to sound sweeter now. Little Red pushes the door open slowly. The house is dark inside. The curtains are all closed. She sees her grandmother in bed, but something looks very different. Grandmother seems bigger than usual. Her blue shawl is crooked. And are those gray furry ears poking out from her nightcap? "My, Grandmother," Little Red says, stepping closer. "What big ears you have!" "All the better to hear you with, my dear," says the voice, even rougher now. "And what big eyes you have!" Little Red notices, seeing bright eyes shine in the dark. "All the better to see you with, my dear!" "And what big teeth you have!" Little Red gasps, seeing sharp teeth gleam. "All the better to... oh dear, this isn't working at all, is it?" The wolf sits up in Grandmother's bed, his bow tie now very crooked indeed.
Little Red takes a deep breath and shouts, "HELP! HELP!" as loud as she can. The wolf jumps up, startled by her loud cry. His ears twitch nervously. Just then, a strong knock sounds at the door. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Little Red! Are you okay?" calls a deep voice. It's the woodcutter who lives next door! The wolf looks scared now. His bow tie shakes as he backs away. The door bursts open. The brave woodcutter runs in with his axe. Behind him is... Grandmother! "I found her tied up in the garden shed!" says the woodcutter. The wolf tries to run, but trips on Grandmother's long nightgown. He falls with a big THUMP! Grandmother hugs Little Red tight. "Oh, my brave girl!" she says. "I heard you calling for help!" The wolf sits up, looking very sorry now. His bow tie is completely undone. "What should we do with this tricky wolf?" asks the woodcutter.
The wolf looks at them all with sad eyes. "I'm very sorry," he says, fixing his crooked bow tie. "I was hungry and foolish. I won't trick anyone ever again." Grandmother steps forward. "Then perhaps you should join us for lunch instead of trying to eat us! I made too much soup anyway." The wolf's eyes grow wide with surprise. "Really? You would share your food with me?" "Yes," says Little Red, putting the medicine and flowers on the table. "But you must promise to be kind from now on." "I promise!" says the wolf. His tail wags happily. So they all sit down together - Little Red, Grandmother, the woodcutter, and even the wolf. They share hot soup and fresh bread. The wolf tells funny stories that make everyone laugh. When it's time to go home, the wolf walks Little Red to the path. "Thank you for teaching me about kindness," he says, checking his gold pocket watch. "Same time next week for soup?" Little Red smiles and nods. From that day on, the wolf keeps his promise. He becomes the most polite and helpful wolf in all the woods, famous for his crooked bow tie and kind heart. The End.
