Little Roja Riding Hood

Summary of Book

A smart, snappy, bilingual retelling of Little Red Riding Hood

While Roja picks flowers on the way to her grandma's, a mean wolf sneaks away with her cape to surprise Abuelita. But Grandma's no fool and Roja's no ordinary chica. They send that hungry lobo packing with a caliente surprise!

This spirited retelling of Little Red Riding Hood has accessible Spanish rhymes and fresh illustrations, with hip cultural details throughout.

Author Biography

Susan Middleton Elya grew up near Des Moines, Iowa, went to college 35 miles away, and then left her state to teach in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. But before that, she traveled to Mexico City with her high school Spanish teacher, to Venezuela to student-teach, and to Burgos, Spain, to finish up her dual degree. She wanted to teach 3rd grade but ended up teaching high school Spanish instead (due to her double degree from Iowa State University). After 8.5 years of teaching in the Midwest, she moved to San Diego to get married and ended up teaching Spanish to native speakers in Ramona, California. Then a move with her husband to the Bay Area left her jobless, with a new baby, and with plenty of time to write. She started submitting stories for publication in 1988 and finally struck gold with Say Hola to Spanish, a nonfiction picture book from Lee & Low, in 1994. Now, 29 titles later, Elya is working on novels, as well. She has three grown children and still loves to make up stories, do school visits, and remember what it was like to be a kid. She also has an online costume store in California, where she sells children's pioneer clothing and her books. Check it out at www.thepolkadotattic.com. Visit her author website at www.susanelya.com.

Illustrator Biography

Susan Guevara is a visual storyteller. She tells her tales with illustrations, paintings, drawings and sculptures. For 27 years her work as a children's picture book illustrator has been recognized many times, often for its contribution to literature set in Latino culture.