Deni Pavela will present his first children’s book, Little Red Riding Hood in the Traffic Forest, on Thursday, 16 October, at 17:00. The presentation will take place at the Dubrovnik Student Home, located at 2b Marka Marojica Street.
The work is based on a version of the well-known fairy tale, which Pavela developed over more than 25 years of working with children. He has long presented the story to students and their teachers as part of lectures on children’s road safety. In his version, Little Red Riding Hood does not pass through the forest on her way to her grandmother’s house.
More than 200 years after the time of the Brothers Grimm, Little Red Riding Hood arrives in Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which she chooses as her new home. There, she starts first grade. In this new environment, she is accompanied by the wicked wolf, this time in the role of a driver. As the author notes, the wolf’s role is an important part of the story, but he does not wish to reveal all the details in advance, so that children can discover the plot and messages of the book for themselves.
The impetus for publishing the book came directly from children and their reactions during the lectures. Pavela notes that during the storytelling, children would suddenly become quiet, curious, and cheerful, as Little Red Riding Hood, a character they know from the fairy tale, had ‘arrived’ among them, in their town. Following the lectures, parents would approach him, recounting how, after school, the children would look for Little Red Riding Hood in the school courtyards, streets, and neighbourhood. These encounters and the encouragement they provided led him to put the story, which had lived through oral tradition, onto paper and transform it into a picture book.
Little Red Riding Hood in the Traffic Forest links the education of road safety, the classic fairy tale, and the promotion of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Through the character of Little Red Riding Hood, the book seeks to help children understand the correct and safe way to participate in traffic, as well as the importance of responsible behaviour in children and adults. The illustrations for the book were created by academic painter Petra Farac, with the editing done by Professor Maja Milošević.
A character dressed as Little Red Riding Hood will also appear at the presentation, allowing the youngest attendees to interact and take photos. Copies of the book will be distributed to children and members of the public on the occasion. The presentation is open to all, with a special invitation extended to parents and their children to meet the new story of Little Red Riding Hood, who has found her new home in Dubrovnik.
