School Library Journal Review

Gr 1 Up This book refuses to be categorized. The first half looks like a picture book with full text and line drawings on one page facing a full-color picture on the other. The second half is a long ``Afterword'' that tells the history of the animated cartoon. As a picture book it is charming primarily because of its relationship with the original film. The pictures are fuzzy and off-color because they are reproduced from lantern slides made 50 years ago. Of course the strength of characterization that made this cartoon a milestone in the evolution of that film genre is there. But unless children can hear the music, the lyrics of that catchy ``Who's afraid of the big bad wolf'' don't quite make the mark. Other versions of this story provide more melodramatic settings. For historical purposes, it's good that the ``old-fashioned'' look has been retained in this edition. And the insights gained from Allen Eyles' historical exposition are significant as they show how art can be exploited by other art and by the politics of a society. Photographs and reproductions of posters drive home the message of the role that this key monument has played in our lives (and in England and Russia also). This is a unique work that may challenge catalogers ' imaginations if they deal fairly with the whole book. Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.