Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale – written by Gloria Koster, illustrated by Sue Eastland
Albert Whitman & Company, 2017
I’m writing about a Chanukah book in July. Recently, I was looking for less terrifying versions of some of the more violently disturbing fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and others. Yes, I know that sanitizing children’s books is not ideal, but for some young children, and adults who remember childhood nightmares, they are appropriate. Bruno Bettleheim, who was wrong about many aspects of child psychology, wrote in The Uses of Enchantment that these traditional stories helped children deal with conflict. Maurice Sendak had contempt for the idea that frightening books were necessarily harmful, and In the Night Kitchen, his Three Stooges bakers are evidence of that. (Yes, they also resemble someone much worse than the Three Stooges, but I found that trio to be terrifying enough.)
Little Red Ruthie, by Gloria Koster and Sue Eastland, still has the young girl, a grandmother, and a ravenous wolf, but the resolution is comforting, perfect for the winter holiday of Chanukah. You can also read it throughout the year. Ruthie gets ready to go to her Bubbe Basha’s house to bake potato latkes (pancakes). She has a puffy red parka and boots, and she happily waves goodbye to her mother. A wolf with long furry arms and sharp teeth emerges from behind a tree.
Since this is Chanukah story, Ruthie “wanted to be brave as the Maccabees,” the Judean heroes who fought the Greek oppressors. She is not only brave, but smart and level-headed, negotiating with the wolf to buy time. But when he arrives at Bubbe’s house in pursuit of Ruthie, a sign on the door says that her grandmother is shopping in the village. He’s not a patient wolf, but he amuses himself by dressing up in Bubbe’s clothes (!). She also has red boots, but they have elegant buttons down the side.
While frying the latkes that Ruthie has promised to eat so that she will become fatter and more delicious, she buys more time by narrating the story of the Maccabees’ victory and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. At this point, the wolf is slumped over the table and one of Bubbe’s boots has fallen off his foot. Ruthie is energetically grating potatoes. By the time Bubbe returns, the wolf is an exhausted and overindulged creature who looks a lot less scary. Bubbe Basha gives him a jelly doughnut (sufganiyot are another traditional Chanukah food), and sends him on his way.
The kitchen is a mess, but Bubbe and Ruthie light the first candle on the chanukiya (Chanukah menorah) and enjoy an intimate dinner. It’s a bit unusual that they are the only two people celebrating together, but it preserves elements of the original fairy tale. If her mother, and other relatives and friends, just showed up for the meal, Little Red Ruthie would differ too much from the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and centuries of folklore devised to frighten, entertain, and teach children. Here the lesson is to think fast, avoid wolves if possible, and enjoy the warmth of your grandmother’s home. Don’t forget to be as brave as the Maccabees.
Imaginary Elevators 