From School Library Journal Grade 2-4–Beginning with the endpaper that shows a boy outlined in blue ink roaring at a frightened wolf that is hiding next to a bed, readers are caught up in the wry humor of both text and illustrations. The child explains, Usually, when I get home from school, nothing exciting happens. Then, the Big Bad Wolf arrives at his house and moans, Nobody believes in me anymore. I dont scare anyone. Sympathetically, the boy sets about helping his new friend regain his confidence. Each of 12 chapters has one enticing sentence that appears by itself on the first page (e.g., I always wondered what he did when I was at school), followed by small evocative line drawings. In one scene, the wolf growls at himself in a mirror, tries to scare a child walking by a window, and records his progress in slash marks on a wall in the closet where he resides. Spare use of yellow, red, and green serves to emphasize a few dramatic moments: one drawing shows the little boy with a yellow face, lit up by a flashlight, when he tries to demonstrate one way to be scary. These whimsical illustrations show up clearly on the warm cream-colored paper. This charming book sings with humor that younger children will likely appreciate; older readers may also smile.–Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From Booklist For Boy, nothing exciting usually happens after school--until he comes upon the Big Bad Wolf. Unfortunately, this wolf, Bernard, has lost his confidence. What else can Boy do but bring Bernard home, feed him chocolate-chip cookies, and give him lessons in being scary? As Boy teaches wolf the essentials--roaring and making terrifying faces--a fine friendship develops. Told in witty, thumbnail-size line drawings accompanied by brief text in very small type, the humorous story shines the spotlight on a critter with a sensitive soul who faces the pressures of a big reputation. Enhanced by different fonts and sound effects, the interactions between the unfazed kid and vulnerable wolf are pitch-perfect, from their bickering to their play, and the expressive illustrations, black and white with occasional bright color accents, joyfully contrast the characters' personalities. Suggest this as an adult-child read-aloud, and give it to somewhat older children who are comics fans. The story's humor, absurdity, and heart will please a wide readership. Shelle RosenfeldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more
T**R
What a fantastic book!!!
What a fantastic book, my daughter (4.5 yro) was reading it for the first time she absolutely LOVED it. At the end of the book she said "Goodness me, what a surprising ending" and laughed out loud. Now she is very hard to satisfy , so if she liked it it's absolutely fantastic! the simple dialog and the drawings brings the change of emotions so clearly. she even like the little jokes in the dialog. I really liked the message driveled at the end. I will be looking for more books like this if they exist.
C**G
enjoyable for all ages..
THE BIG BAD WOLF AND ME is an adorable sort of fairy tale re-telling, of the idea of the classic wolf from numerous famed fairy tales. Perret and Rowan have found a clever way to take a well know but one dimensional character and modernize him by expanding his story. I read this to my 4 year old twin boys tonight before bed and they absolutely loved it as did I. The wolf comes to life in story as well as in the fantastic little illustrations. What a fun book... Well done!
A**R
He loved it!
Not totally what I expected but with a kid who has been obsessed with bbw for years.... He loved it!
L**.
One of my favorite "new" books for kids
The language and grammar leave room for improvement. But! The story and cleverness engage the reader to want to read.
C**S
Don't miss this fun book
A wonderful book for children that leaves the reader laughing aloud.
Z**A
Brilliant
I bought this book at our local bookstore mainly because I was so impressed with it as an adult. My (almost) 7 year old daughter took a few readings with which to get into it but that it what I find so fantastic about the way that it is written and illustrated. Having to read the same books over and over for a small child can become tedious for a parent and this is one of the rare stories which is timeless and yet told from a completely new and unique perspective. (Plus it reminds me quite a bit of my little manipulator and how she would have plied a wolf with the cookies.)This is a wonderful find for both children and their parents alike.
G**O
A new favorite in our household
My son is 8 years old and this book is a real hit. We have read it many times and it's fun every time. The book is in a cartoon format, and the dialog reminds me very much of Calvin and Hobbes. The relationship between the boy and the wolf is entertaining and funny, and a new reader can easily participate in the voices. The humor is simple enough for children to understand, but sophisticated enough to appeal to parents. This one is a winner -- we look forward to more from Delphine Perret.
M**E
Translated from French
It is always fun to find a book that has global appeal in its humor. This is a book that can be enjoyed by the reader and the small child as well. The humor is clever, silly, and fun. With a few sentences on each page and several simple illustrations on each page this book reads like a cartoon strip. Children like the fact that the boy has control over the Big Bad Wolf. They ask to have this one read over and over again. Early readers can handle this one on their own.
A**R
Addictive author and artist
Great to see this wonderful writer and artist has now appeared in English. If you know French do read her other titles as you will be completely addicted!
