Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China

“Po Po, Po Po,” she said, for she was not only the eldest, she was the most clever, “you must be hungry. Have you eaten gingko nuts?”
“What is gingko?” the wolf asked.
“Gingko is soft and tender, like the skin of a baby. One taste and you will live forever,” Shang said, “and the nuts grow on the top of the tree just outside the door.”
The wolf gave a sigh. “Oh, dear. Po Po is old, her bones have become brittle. No longer can she climb trees.”
“Good Po Po, we can pick some for you,” Shang said.
The wolf was delighted.
Shang jumped out of bed and Tao and Paotze came with her to the gingko tree. There, Shang told her sisters about the wolf and all three climbed up the tall tree.
The wolf waited and waited. Plump Tao did not come back. Sweet Paotze did not come back. Shang did not come back, and no one brought any nuts from the gingko tree. At last the wolf shouted,
“Where are you, children?”
“Po Po,” Shang called out, “we are on the top of the tree eating gingko nuts.
“Good children,” the wolf begged, “pluck some for me.”
“But Po Po, gingko is magic only when it is plucked directly from the tree. You must come and pluck it from the tree yourself.
“The wolf came outside and paced back and forth under the tree where he heard the three children eating the gingko nuts at the top. “Oh, Po Po, these nuts are so tasty! The skin so tender,” Shang said. The wolf’s mouth began to water for a taste.
Finally, Shang, the eldest and most clever child, said, “Po Po, Po Po, I have a plan. At the door there is a big basket. Behind it is a rope. Tie the rope to the basket, sit in the basket and throw the other end to me. I can pull you up.”