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Leslie Whetzel
Dr. Elick
Eng 345
April 13, 2007
Wolves
PICTURE BOOKS
1) Bloom, Becky. Wolf! New York: Orchard Books, 1999.
In Bloom’s book, Wolf finds out that being “a big and dangerous wolf” (8) does not gain him the admiration he desires. Reading, rather than intimidation, is the skill that impresses. So, Wolf goes to school to learn how to read. When he finds out that just reading is not enough, he practices until he reads “with confidence and passion” (19). Only then does Wolf finally earn the attention he desires.
Bloom creates a community of readers in Wolf!
. The story begins with Wolf alone, fending for himself. Through reading, Wolf finds a place among a circle of friends who value the joy of reading. Jerilyn
Woodson comments that Wolf! “provides [to children] a delightful incentive for learning to read and becoming a lover of books” (49).
The Horn Book Guide Online notes that Pascal Biet’s “agile watercolor artwork expresses wit as it follows the wolf…”. Wolf, as he transitions into a reader, now wears glasses, giving Wolf a more scholarly look. Biet includes a hilarious scene of a sheepish looking Wolf acting out a scene from “Little Red Riding Hood”.
2) Brimner, Larry Dane. The Littlest Wolf. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
Little Wolf worries he is not good enough at rolling, running, and pouncing. Through his conversation with Big Gray, Little Wolf learns that all things develop in time at their own pace. Brimner’s picture book poignantly captures a father patiently reassuring his son “[t]hat is just as it should be” (11).
The illustrations by the prolific Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey give the story a touching, yet comic feel. Deborah Stevenson believes “Aruego and Dewey's illustrations give Little Wolf his rueful due: the wayward lines have an expressive energy reminiscent of Sandra Boynton” (34).
Stevenson declares, “All youngsters feel outstripped by somebody, so
Little Wolf's plight will be widely recognized” (34) by readers. This
Oppenheim Gold Medal book celebrates individual accomplishment rather than achievement through comparison. As Big Wolf points out to
Little Wolf, pouncing the highest is not always the best. The Littlest Wolf is also an IRA/CBC Children’s Choice winner.

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3) Gaiman, Neil. The Wolves in the Walls . New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
In this IRA/CBC Children’s Choice winner, Lucy is convinced there are wolves in the walls, but no one in her family believes her. Her family replies, “If the wolves come out of the walls then it’s all over” (6). When the wolves finally break free of the walls, Lucy’s family, frightened and shocked, flees to the garden. There brave Lucy convinces her family to go back to the house and live in the walls themselves. Once inside, the family finds the wolves are just afraid of the people in the walls as they were of the wolves.
This New York Times Best Illustrated Book winner, discusses the fear of the unknown in the creaks and soft bumps heard in the night. The illustrations by Dave McKean, a versatile artist in multiple fields including work on the Harry Potter movies, are a combination of photographic and graphic novel elements in muted colors. The Horn Book Guide Online comments that the illustrations seem “gratuitously creepy,” but “the story is wholly original, and there’s no denying the care taken with the mixedmedia illustrations.” Gaiman is also known for his work with graphic novels.
4) Gravett, Emily. Wolves . New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006.
Rabbit goes to the library and reads all about wolves. He learns about their physical characteristics and habitat; however, he is quite disturbed when he learns about their diet. When the facts of his book come to life, Rabbit is in mortal danger.
Wolves , a Kate Greenaway medal winner and 2007 ALA Notable
Children’s Book, plays with the readers’ concept of book format. It uses a book within a book to bring attention to the factual content of Rabbit’s reading. Gravett also comments on books blending into life by having the wolf transcend from the pages of the book into Rabbit’s reality. She also adds another twist by providing an alternate ending for “more sensitive readers” (26).
Gravett’s illustrations complement her story. She uses print to match meaning in her illustrations with her book within a book presentation and her inclusion of other media. She begins the story with a traditional illustration style, but wolf appears in bolder, charcoal pencil. The final illustration is a collage, as if the characters are ripped from the story itself.

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5) Kasza, Keiko. The Dog Who Cried Wolf. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2005.
After his owner reads a book about wolves, Moka – a housedog – decides to run away and live free like a wolf. However, Moka soon finds that a wolf’s life is more difficult than he imagined. He is an inexperienced hunter and soon becomes lonely. When real wolves answer Moka’s call, Moka runs back home.
Kasza conveys the book’s theme, be careful what you wish for, through Moka’s encounter with book experience versus real life. Moka’s comparisons between the life of a wolf and his own create humorous tones throught the story. Katherine T. Horning notes that “Humor, understatement, and perfect pacing are the hallmarks of her stories, each of which has a pleasantly surprising resolution of everyday, childlike conflict.”
Kasza’s illustrations through the characters’ expressions reveal the emotions in the story. In addition, they convey as much detail and action as the text, directing the reader through the story. Horning asserts that Kasza is a “genius at using negative space and varied page designs to help the child viewer zero in on key visual elements” (186). Kasza has won a Charlotte Zolotow Honor for outstanding writing in a picture book for a previous work, Don’t Laugh, Joe !.
TRADITIONAL LITERATURE
6) Hartman, Bob. The Wolf Who Cried Boy . New York: Scholastic, 1989.
In a twist on the fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” Little Wolf finds out what happens when little wolves lie. Little Wolf wants “Boy” for dinner, but boys are scarce in his neck of the woods. He soon discovers when he cries “Boy” that the adults come running. The adults become disbelieving after several fruitless searches. When an entire troop of boyscouts appear, no one believes Little Wolf, and they all miss their chance at “Boy” for dinner.
Harman remains true to the fable’s message by only changing the identities of the characters. This twist is all he needed to give the story a new feel. In addition, Tim Raglin provides detailed, expressive illustrations that add to the comic tone of the book. Deborah Stevenson notes, “Raglin's line-rich art employs hatching and crosshatching so generously and evenly that there's a suggestion of wood engraving, but there's no stiffness, just controlled and comedic polish in the bug-eyed, early American wolves…” (404).

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7) Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf . New York:
Penguin, 1989.
This spoof tells the popular folk tale “The Three Little Pigs” from the wolf’s side. Alexander T. Wolf explains that he was just looking for a cup of sugar when he visited the pigs’ houses one by one. He had a nasty cold, so when he sneezed the pigs’ houses just blew over. A. Wolf insists the traditional story is just a result of sensational journalism.
This ALA Notable Book and winner of the Maryland Black-eyed
Susan award takes a fresh look at a childhood favorite. The story still contains all of the action from the original tale, but it changes the viewpoint and motivations. Gerard J. Senick comments that “Scieszka’s wry and sophisticated perspective…stresses the satirical aspects of the
[tale], which [is] also noted for [its] accessibility to young readers” (152).
Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith have created many children’s books together, including The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid
Tales that earned a Caldecott Honor Medal. The team often uses oral tradition for the basis of their work. Senick calls Scieszka “one of the most popular recent writers in the field of children’s literature” (152).
8) Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and a Big Bad Pig . New York: Maxwell
Macmillan, 1993.
This School Library Journal Best Book winner is a parody of “The
Three Little Pigs.” All the three little wolves want to do is live in a nice house and play games, but the Big Bad Pig keeps interrupting their fun.
The three little wolves are smart enough to build their homes from bricks, concrete, and steel. When the Big Bad Pig’s huffing and puffing does not work, he turns to alternate means, such as a sledgehammer, to knock down their houses. In the end, the Big Bad Pig stops to smell the flowers and sees the errors of his ways. They all become friends and play “piggyin-the-middle” (29).
Named an ALA Notable Book, the book is illustrated by Kate
Greenaway Medal winner Helen Oxenbury. The illustrations are extremely expressive, and they provide the personality for the characters.
The Big Bad Pig wears a disgruntled scowl; while, the wolves have innocent open-eyed expressions throughout to play up the role reversals within the story.
As Dominique Sandis has noted of Trivizas’ books, “Their pages are filled with quirky, fantastic characters and unbelievable worlds framed with ingenious humor and skilled wordplay” (359). In this book, Trivizas updates the tale in details such as building materials and equipment, and he switches the protagonist and antagonist roles in his story. All the characters in the story are animals, and he makes unusual choices for each role – a kangaroo, a rhinoceros, a flamingo. With these elements he invents a new, hilarious tale from a beloved favorite.

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9) Young, Ed. Lon Po Po: a Red Riding Hood Story from China . New York: Putnam and Grosset, 1989.
This Caldecott winning folk tale is a Chinese variant of Little Red
Riding Hood. Three children are alone when their mother goes to visit their grandmother, Po Po, and a wolf is watching. He disguises himself as
Po Po and fools the three children – at first. When Shang, Tao, and
Paotze realize their visitor is a wolf by the bush on his foot and the thorns on his hands, they trick the wolf by luring him up to a ginko tree. The three children escape unscathed, but the wolf is not as lucky.
Young’s watercolor and pastel illustrations add a sense of danger to the story. Ethel R. Twitchell notices how “the slightly blurred illustrations are subdued in color but seem to throb with the mystery and terror of the wolf and the round-eyed fright of the children” (79). In traditional folk tale style, Young focuses on the plot of the story and reveals little about the setting or character development. John Philbrook asserts that “[t]he text possesses that matter-of-fact veracity that characterizes the best fairy tales” (97).
FANTASY FICTION
10) Aiken, Joan. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase . New York: Delacore, 1962.
In this adventure story, a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner, two girl cousins, fight to survive when they are left in the care of their scheming relative, Miss Slighcarp. The girls are opposites of each other. Bonnie is bold and daring: Sylvia is quiet and reserved. When the two girls are caught planning to escape, Miss Slighcarp sends them to a boarding house for orphans. Run by the harsh and intolerant Mrs. Brisket, the boarding house is a prison for the children. Bonnie and Sylvia are forced to work all day, and they are not allowed to speak to each other. Along with a
Simon – an independent friend who some call a gypsy – the girls escape to
London. After tying up some loose ends, the girls with the assistance of the police return to Willoughby Chase and evict the devious Miss Slighcarp and Mrs. Brisket. Throughout the novel, menacing wolves haunt the outside landscape, but the girls learn that the true wolves were the people inside their home.
The book, written at the end of the second golden age of children’s literature and at the beginning of new realism, showcases the self-reliance of children, especially in the character of Simon. Simon lives on his own in a cave raising geese, gathering food, and protecting himself from wolves with a bow. Janet E. Lorenz comments that Simon “is an image as carefree and appealing as that of Huckleberry Finn …” (1651-2). Bonnie and Sylvia admire Simon for his independent ways; however, they develop their own self-reliance as they encounter problems at Mrs.

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Brisket’s school. Bonnie learns patience and self-control, and Sylvia becomes more assertive and spirited by the book’s end. Lorenz suggests that book “offers a model for young readers of characters who respond in a responsible and intelligent manner to their problems” (1651).
11) Bauer, Marion Dane. Runt . New York: Clarion, 2002.
Runt is born as the smallest pup to King and Silver. Raven acknowledges that “small can be brave…fierce” (12), so Runt struggles to learn about the world around him. On his journey to adulthood, Runt learns the way of the wolf pack. Everyone contributes to the group, and
Runt must find his gift to earn his place. Runt stands between the two competing personalities of the pack. King, his father, represents the admired traits of wolves: strong, loyal, part of a caring family unit, and connected to nature. Bider, a wolf adopted into the pack, symbolizes the wolves’ darker side: threatening, independent, selfish, and unrespecting of the natural order. Ultimately, Runt must decide who to follow: King or Bider.
Bauer, a Newbery Honor winning author, exalts nature in her book.
Runt appreciates the world around him in vivid, descriptive detail: “The world was so much larger, brighter, more colorful and exciting than he had dreamed” (17). The wolves are connected to nature, including the other animals, rivers, and trees. In contrast, “humans contaminate all they touch” (123) creating a dichotomy between the unblemished world of the wolves and the tainted world of humans.
Runt’s struggle to find his place in his society mirrors what Maeve
Visser Knoth identifies as a recurring theme in Bauer’s books: internal struggle (741). Runt is not the best at hunting or smelling, but he is the most determined. Bauer ending message tells readers that everyone, no matter how small, has a gift to find and give. In the end, Runt’s decision to follow the ways of his father leads him to finding his gift and a new name.
Bauer has written many other books for children and young adults.
Her works typically deal with delicate issues such as truth, disabilities, and parental relationships. Bauer considers her books to be “a kind of personal letter between author and reader” (113).
12) Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book . 1894. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
In India, Mowgli is abandoned by his parents in the jungle after a ferocious tiger, Shere Khan, ambushes his family. A wolf family protects this young human child and raises him as part of the wolf pack. Along with Bagheera, a formidable panther, and Baloo, a wise bear, they teach
Mowgli the laws of the jungle and how to protect himself against his lifelong enemy, Shere Khan.

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This classic novel, written during the first golden age of children’s literature, follows Mowgli’s progression from a vulnerable child alone in the jungle to a resourceful member of his jungle community. As Bill
Delaney points out, “Mowgli and his animal friends embody the virtues
Kipling most admired: courage, self-reliance, loyalty, and an instinctive trust in the goodness of nature” (768). Mowgli tries to live among humans, but he returns to the jungle when he is unable to find social acceptance. Dennis M. Goldsberry explains that Mowgli recognizes
“savagery” in the jungle as part of nature, but “the greed of humans iss beyond his understanding” (1789).
The book also includes “Riki-Tikki-Tavi,” a popular stand-alone animal story by Kipling. The book was first published as two separate novels. This modern collection focuses on the Mowgli stories. It is illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, a three time Caldecott Honor winner.
Kipling, a Noble Peace Prize winner, has been recognized for his contributions to journalism, adult literature, and poetry in addition to his books for young adults. However, Delaney notes, “[Kipling’s] creative genius is nowhere better exemplified than…in his Jungle Books” (769).
13) Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . 1950. New York:
HarperTrophy, 1978.
In this classic fantasy, four children are sent out of war-beseiged
London to the English countryside. There Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy find a doorway to a magical world, Narnia, inside a wardrobe. At first they are filled with wonder at this magical new place, but soon they find a darkness hanging over Narnia. The White Witch, a powerful and evil leader, has risen and seeks to keep Narnia in a perpetual winter. Any who oppose her, she turns to stone. The White Witch fears a prophesy that foresees her destruction by the “two Sons of Adam and two
Daughters of Eve” (82), so she seduces Edmund away from his siblings with promises of power and approval. Peter, Susan, and Lucy - pursued by wolves representing the menace of the White Witch - turn to Aslan, a valiant lion who is both “good and terrible at the same time” (126). A battle between good and evil follows: sacrifice and forgiveness enable the children to ultimately overcome the White Witch.
Lewis conveys his theme of forgiveness and redemption through
Edmund. Kirk H. Beetz notes that “Edmund is the most “human” of the characters because he is susceptible to temptation, deception, and power” (2382). Edmund betrays his siblings, but he is forgiven through sacrifice and love. He makes amends for his mistake turning the tide against the White Witch in the final battle. Beetz believes that
“forgiveness and redemption make The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe a tale of hope, because it shows that evil deeds can be undone” (2383).

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Lewis also carries an undercurrent of the Christianity in his work.
Lloyd Thompson argues that “Lewis’ ability as a storyteller serves as a vehicle to present Christian faith and morals” (243). Aslan, the noble and virtuous lion, sacrifices himself to pay for Edmund’s offense. Aslan’s sacrifice of his life and resurrection parallel that of Jesus Christ. Beetz also points out that “Aslan’s father, the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea, represents God; the irredeemable evil White Witch represents Satan”
(2382-3) along with other symbols of Christianity.
14) Maguire, Gregory. The Dream Stealer . New York: Harper, 1983.
Set in the northern forests of Russia, this novel weaves traditional folklore characters such as Baba Yaga and the Firebird into a fantasy novel that discusses love, loss, and community. It follows two young children,
Pasha and Lisette, who are the only ones brave enough to confront the
Blood Prince, a demonic wolf. The only way to defeat the Blood Prince is revealed through a dream, so it is the dream he is out to steal. It takes the entire village and the memory of a lost loved one to defeat him.
Maguire’s novel is full of humorous details. Ethel Heins recognizes that Maguire “has his own way with words, deploying them with wit, flavor, verve and a touch of hyperbole” (577). This appears in the villagers’ constant bickering that resembles the affection arguments of an extended family. Pasha’s grandfather has two sets of eyebrows that allows him to “scowl at the world with twice the ferocity” (5). Baba
Yaga’s house on two skinny chicken legs and with a mind of its own keeps up with the villagers throughout the story.
Love between the characters, especially the love between family members, plays a prominent role in the book. Pasha’s grandfather is cantankerous and overbearing, yet he willingly gives his dreams to the
Blood Prince to save Pasha. Lisette’s mother, Vasilissa the Beautiful, has passed away. However, she leaves her children with wonderful memories and dreams that allow the children to defeat the Blood Prince.
15) Paterson, Katherine. The King’s Equal . New York: HarperTrophy, 1992.
In this fairy tale by the Hans Christian Anderson award winning author Katherine Paterson, arrogant Prince Raphael demands a bride that is his equal. What he finds is Rosamund, a kind-hearted, hard-working farmer’s daughter. Rosamund is granted the gift of self awareness by a magic wolf who she befriends. Prince Raphael is determined to make
Rosamund his bride, but he finds she is beyond his equal and must undergo a transformation of his own. Gary Schmidt explains, “The powerful twist in the plot…comes not in Rosamund’s cleaver reversal of the title “King’s Equal,” but instead in the exchange of Raphael and
Rosmund from their respective communities” (277). Prince Raphael

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The King’s Equal is the winner of the Irma S. and James H. Black
Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. Katherine Paterson has won two Newbery medals, as well as the Phoenix award for other books. The book is illustrated by Vladimir Vagin, a Distinguished Artist of the Russian Federated Socialist Republic and author and illustrator of many Russian Folk tales.
REALISTIC FICTION
16) George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves . New York: HarperTrophy, 1972.
This Newbery award-winning book is a robinsonade set in Alaska. It is the story of Miyax, an thirteen-year-old girl, who walks away from her unhappy marriage. Miyak is determined to reach San Francisco to live with her penpal, but along the way she becomes lost on the tundra.
As a child, her father told her wolves are “brotherly”. If she can speak to the wolves, then they will take care of her. Miyax slowly learns to talk to the wolves through her body motions and vocalizations and forms a bond with the wolves that helps her survive. The wolves help
Miyax with food and protection; and in return, she names each wolf and cares for them when they are injured. Anne Sherrill asserts that the author, “changed forever the image of the wolf as a shadowy, cruel beast” (766) through this exchange of affection.
The book also explores the assimilation of Native American culture.
In the village where she learns to read and write in English, Miyax accepts the identity of Julie. Her throwing away of her i’noGo tied symbolizes her turning away from traditional Eskimo ways. However, lost on the tundra, she turns back into Miyax. Sherrill notes, “Miyax embodies the Eskimo respect and responsibility toward nature” (765).
Miyax uses more and more of her traditional skills – creating snares to trap animals, creating clothes from skins, knowledge of the North Star – until she is no longer dependent on the wolves and can survive on her own.
17) London, Jack. White Fang . 1906. New York: Scholastic, 2001.
White Fang is a classic animal story written during the first golden age of children’s literature. Set in Alaska, it tells the dramatic survival story of a wolf-dog, White Fang. The story first tells of White Fang through the eyes of his mother, another wolf-dog. Playful and energetic, White Fang is the only one of her pups to survive past infancy.
As starvation sets in, White Fang and his mother move from the wild to

Whetzel 10 join an Indian village. There, White Fang and his mother are cruelly separated, and White Fang is now on his own. Tormented by the village dogs, he becomes a strong, fierce fighter, which draws the attention of Beauty Smith, a man who runs dogfights. Smith buys White
Fang and turns him into a tortured killer. When White Fang loses his a fight, luck is finally on his side. Weedon Scott adopts White Fang and teaches him love and kindness. Scott brings White Fang to California where the wolf-dog finally finds a place to belong.
Virginia Crane notes that White Fang is “a metaphor for each human’s battle to realize his or her own nature while accommodating accidents of circumstance and social and natural laws” (1325). London clearly sets up this battle within White Fang. He defines White Fang as three-forth wolf and one-forth dog, so he is three-forth wild and oneforth civilized. White Fang struggles between his wild, untamed instinct and his gentle, domesticated nature.
It is also a book about the power of love and kindness. White Fang is a killer from his lifetime of fighting, but the love and kindness shown by Scott changes the wolf-dog. This reflects White Fang’s ability to adapt to his environment, and it ultimately earns him redemption.
This edition is beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Ed
Young. Although Crane claims the book is “artistically inferior” to
London’s previous novel, Call of the Wild, she acknowledges it “helped to establish London as a popular American literary figure.”
18) Malterre, Elona. The Last Wolf of Ireland . New York: Clarion, 1990.
Set in the eighteenth-century, this fictional story is based on the real extinction of wolves in Ireland. Two children, Devin and Katy, find a den of wolf pups whose mother has been killed by hunters. Wolves are considered evil and killed for cash rewards, so Devin and Katy attempt to raise the pups on their own. To keep this secret, they lie to their friends and families and steal food. When a bully finds out their secret, he tells the local constable who kill the pups – all but one who is not in the den when the constable arrives. Devin takes the last wolf pup and hides it in his barn until he finally releases it into the wild.
Malterre centers her book on the theme of standing up for what you believe in. Devin is a small boy picked on by bullies. With the help of a new friend he learns to fight but “never [to] hit a man once he’s down” (47). Devin uses this lesson to stand up for the wolf when his mother discovers his secret. Devin argues, “God made wolves just a he made me and you! You always say to treat God’s creatures with kindness” (102).
The book also discusses myth versus reality. The townspeople believe that wolves kill humans and their cattle, although the wolves have never killed people and rarely cattle. They fear the forest filled

Whetzel 11 with “dullahans” or ghosts. In contrast, Devin views the forest as “a different world, magical and mysterious” (2). The idea that humans need to accept the natural world with love instead of fear is central to the book.
19) Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Return of the Wolf . New York: Clarion, 1997.
ALA Best Book Winning author, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, revolves this story around two wolves, Sedra and Jasper, who are driven out of their packs. After finding their own territory, the two wolves meet and share their struggle for survival. Together, Sedra and Jasper create a pack of their own amidst the challenges of nature and man.
In her book, Patent focuses on the landscape of the wolves’ daily life instead of assigning emotional characteristics to her characters. The reader watches the story unfold as an observer. Zena Sutherland and
May Hill Arbuthnot note of Patent, “…she communicates a sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of animal life by her zest for her subject rather than by comments on the marvelous intricacy of the natural order” (147).
POETRY
20) Dahl, Roald. “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.” Roald Dahl’s Revolting
Rhymes. Rpt. In The Riverside Anthology of Children’s Literature . 6 th ed. Ed.
Judith Saltman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985. 103-104.
A twist on the folk tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” Dahl’s narrative poem offers an original spin on a well-known work. When Wolfie hungers for some substancial fare, he knocks on Grandma’s door then eats her up. However, she is not enough to sate his hunger, so he waits for
Little Miss Red Riding Hood. He disguises himself as Grandma and anticipates his next meal. But when she arrives, she forgets her lines.
Wolfie is flummoxed and Little Red Riding Hood shoots him in the head and makes him into a coat.
Dahl, winner of the Whitbread award, wrote surprising turns and twists into his poems that challenge the reader for humorous effect. Mark
I. West compares Dahl’s poems to Lewis Carroll’s parodies of Victorian poems: “Dahl’s parodies…feature all sorts of absurd situations and comic violence” (117). West also points out how Dahl includes references to modern times in his new versions, such as Little Red’s gun. West concludes that Dahl “[played] havoc with the conventions of traditional children’s literature” (117). This results in stories Dahl branded as his own.

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21) Prelutsky, Jack. “A Wolf Is at the Laundromat.” New Kid on the Block . New York:
Greenwillow, 1984.
Nonsense poet Jack Prelutsky creates an amusing poem about a wolf doing laundry. But not to worry, “It’s a wash-and-wear wolf.”
Ann Flowers compares Prelutsky to Shel Silverstein in regards to subject matter, but to Ogden Nash for his use of rhyme and rhythm (770). The use of neologisms, puns, and alliteration within the poem make it fun to read, especially out loud. Flowers observes that Prelutsky has “an unerring choice of subjects close to the hearts of children, a precise selection of the perfect word, and a ready humor…at his command”
(770). The illustrations by James Stevenson are reminiscent of Edward
Lear’s simple, yet comic lines.
22) Vozar, David. Yo, Hungry Wolf . New York: Yearling, 1995.
This nursery rhyme rap retells three classic fairy tales, “Little Red
Riding Hood,” “The Three Little Pigs,” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
Vozar uses rhyme and rhythm to create raps that are best when read aloud. His use of incongruities, puns, and a slang conversational tone add humor to the rhymes throughout the book. The Horn Book Online worries that “young children may miss much of the humor and meaning;
[but,] older children familiar with the stories will enjoy these versions.”
Betsy Lewin, who earned a Caldecott Honor for Click, Clack, Moo: Cows
That Type, enhances the book with colorful and active illustrations.
23) Whybrow, Ian. Little Wolf’s Handy Book of Poems . Minneapolis, MN: First
Avenue Editions, 2002.
Little Wolf has compiled a book of poems to convince his parents of the merits of poetry. Poem topics range from tips on poetry writing to disguises commonly used by wolves. Little Wolf also composes parodies of popular nursery rhymes, such as “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” and “Mary
Had a Little Lamb,” with his own new twists.
This book is one of a series of similarly written books featuring Little
Wolf. In these, Whybrow writes in a language that children themselves use to write. He includes lots of onamonapoeia and print variations to add humorous touches. Christine Hepperman comments that his previous installment of Little Wolf, Little Wolf’s Book of Badness, contains an “impulsive creative-writing style [that] accentuates the humor in his experiences” (87). Kate Greenaway Medal winner Tony Ross illustrates the book with many expressive line drawings.

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Works Cited
Arbuthnot, May Hill and Zena Sutherland. “Dorothy Hinshaw Patent” in Children and
Books 7 th ed. (1986): 484-548. Rpt. in Children’s Literature Review . Ed. Gerard
J. Senick. Vol. 19. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1990. 147-149.
Bauer, Marion Dane. “An Author’s Letter to Teachers.” The Horn Book Magazine 67
(1991): 111-116.
Beetz, Kirk H. “ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young Adults . Ed. Kirk H. Beetz. Vol. 5. Washington, DC: Beacham, 1991. vols. 2380-2388.
Crane, Virginia. “ White Fang.” Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Literature
Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 3. Englewood Cliffs, NY: Salem, 1997. 3 vols.
1323-1326.
Delaney, Bill. “ The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book.” Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs,
NY: Salem, 1991. 4 vols. 767-770.
Ann A. Flowers. “ The New Kid on the Block.” The Horn Book Magazine 60 (1984):
769-770.
Goldsberry, Dennis M. “ The Jungle Book.” Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young
Adults . Eds. Kirk H. Beetz and Susan Niemeyer. Vol. 4. Washington, DC:
Beacham, 1990. vols. 1788-1793.
Heins, Ethel L. “The Dream Stealer.” The Horn Book Magazine 59 (1983): 577.
Hepperman, Christine M. “ Little Wolf’s Book of Badness.” The Horn Book Magazine
76 (2000): 86-87.
Horning, Katherine T. “ Dorothy and Mikey.” The Horn Book Magazine 76 (2000):
186.
Knoth, Maeve Vissar. “ Face to Face.” The Horn Book Magazine 67 (1991): 741.
Lorenz, Janet E. “ The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.” Masterplots II: Juvenile and
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*Visual images obtained from Books-A-Million’s website (http://bamm.com/)