"Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf," and More From "Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf" Once upon a time, the Big Bad Wolf was a mighty fearsome fellow. In the folkloric tales of Aesop and the Grimms, he terrorized small children and other helpless critters. He blew down houses in Disney's "Three Little Pigs," and in "The Three Little Wolves," a somewhat sinister Silly Symphony cartoon from 1936, after the Nazi ascent to power, he is saddled with a German accent. Perhaps he was due for a makeover. Four new picture books this year brush aside his surly past and sweeten him up for warmer and fuzzier tales, while still retaining a bit of bite. In "The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf," the prolific author-illustrator Mark Teague ("Dear Mrs. La Rue," the "How Do Dinosaurs...?" series), sets his story in motion when three small pigs are abandoned by their farmer. He decides to move to Florida with his wife. They'll just have to set up camp elsewhere. The story proceeds as expected, with a few comic touches. Two of the pigs are not only lazy, they're inveterate junk food gobblers; the third plants a vegetable patch. Matters depart from the routine when the "somewhat bad" wolf comes in, hungry and in a "VERY bad mood." Still, he isn't the professional destroyer of pigs from the stories of yore. "I can't believe that worked!" he marvels after blowing down the first pig's house. He had never blown down a house before. He's also, it happens, out of shape. The pigs feel sorry for him, and soon enough, he's lounging with his porcine friends in the third pig's swimming pool. Instead of happily ever after, "he was hardly ever bad again." Breezily entertaining and full of food references, this humorous fractured fairy tale won't send any children peering fretfully up the chimney. "Rabbit and the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf," written by Michael Escoffier and illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo (illustrator of last year's winning "My Dad is Big and Strong, But..."), offers a more original premise. The story, published originally in France, belongs to a small white bunny, whom the narrator, invisible behind a large coffee mug, addresses directly: "Tell me, Rabbit. Do you know the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf? The rabbit then tries to draw the fellow in question, using a piece of chalk and a traditional blackboard. Each time, he gets at least one feature wrong. "That's good," the narrator says with encouragement. But the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf has a small nose. Trouble arises when Rabbit gets the picture right, and the Wolf materializes and gives chase. The bunny tries to hide everywhere, but the scare is fleeting. The wolf, it turns out, is more Max than Wild Thing, and she dearly loves bunnies. Working with charcoal and muted watercolors, Di Giacomo infuses her pictures with humor and feeling in a story that may confuse at first but will charm in the end. Meanwhile, "Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf" opens on a smiley note, with a lavender-colored wolf cheerfully reading a book in a bright, sunny meadow. "Really, she was a Sweet Little Wolf who loved all things pretty and pink, especially fairy tales," we are reassured. Unfortunately, her parents are sincerely bad wolves, and they ask their sweet child to collect "one little girl (tender and juicy) " for their evening repast. Lo and behold, along comes Little Red Riding Hood, reading a fairy tale of her own. The Sweet Little Wolf tries to carry out her parents" instructions, but she doesn't have the temperament to pull it off. Sure, she dresses up like Grandma, but that's only because she can't resist trying on her polka-dotted nightcap and spritzing herself with perfume. Needless to say, nothing else goes according to plan in this frilly fractured fairy tale. There are tears and misunderstandings, and even a 180-degree turnaround by her harsh parents. A final impish twist can't quite overcome Mrs. Wolf's overly comforting "We love you just the way you are." Some fairy tales, alas, aren't to be believed. "The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation" is Delphine Perret's very smart and thoroughly beguiling follow-up to the similarly marvelous "Big Bad Wolf and Me" (2006), both of which were originally published in France. A hybrid picture book/chapter book/graphic novel for young children and newly confident readers, both books tell the story of Louis, a young boy with an active imagination and a Big Bad Wolf for a companion. His name is Bernard. And he's a secret. He's also, occasionally, a distraction. He gets crumbs on Louis's neck while the child tries to finish his homework. "You want me to leave you alone?" the Wolf asks, and when Louis says yes, can't help adding, "I see you've made a few mistakes on your homework." You can understand why Louis assents to the Wolf accompanying him on his beach vacation with Grandpa, with the caveat, "You'd have to go incognito." This may not be difficult, since the Wolf is drawn as mere shadow, with a brown blurry silhouette that stands in sharp contrast to Louis's bright blue outlines. He is often mistaken for a dog. There's also little danger of him eating anyone. "You forget that I'm a vegetarian," he points out to Louis. But you love salmon and sardines! Louis retorts. So goes the typical dialogue between the two friends - sometimes familiar, sometimes kvetchy - and it's just one of the book's many great charms. At one point, the Wolf complains to Louis, "I am wounded by your lack of trust." Grown-ups will adore Grandpa and children will adore Louis. This Big Bad Wolf will win over everybody.