Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been awhile since they'd seen each other.
"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother.
When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.
"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."
"Don't worry, mommy," said Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll be careful."
But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more.
Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her...
Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.
"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster.
"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Little Red Riding Hood replied.
Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house.
The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut...
When Little Red Riding Hood reached the cottage, she noticed that the door was open. She was surprised to find her grandmother lying in bed with a nightcap on.
"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"
"All the better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf.
"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"
"All the better to see you with, my dear."
"Grandmother, what big teeth you have!"
"All the better to eat you with, my dear!" cried the wolf.
At that moment, a woodcutter who had been working nearby heard the commotion and rushed to the cottage. He burst through the door and scared the wolf away. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were safe.
And from that day forward, Little Red Riding Hood always kept her promise to her mother and never spoke to strangers in the woods again.