School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Encountering three little pigs, a hungry wolf is unable to persuade Alan, Gordon, or Blake to let him into their houses. Seeking greener pastures, he sneaks up on Barry, a lonely shepherd in "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," but luckily his wisecracking sheep know how to handle wolves. Rhonda, otherwise known as Little Red Riding Hood, may be willing to discuss fashion with the wolf in the woods but soon realizes that "being well dressed doesn't excuse rude behavior" to her Granny. The animal barely escapes, clad only in Granny's fluffy white rug. As "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," he has another unsuccessful try at Barry's resourceful flock. He gets his clothes back just in time to reenact "The Wolf and the Seven Little Goslings," all of whom are named and loaded with personality. This hilarious romp ends with the very hungry wolf noticing a sign to Farmer McGregor's garden and contemplating a vegetarian lifestyle. Illustrated with softly colored pen-and-ink drawings, these five stories meld seamlessly together. The text is full of puns, alliteration, and occasional rhymes. Contemporary sensibilities, such as Rhonda's fixation on fashion and the counseling style of Barry's sheep, are priceless additions. The oversize format and the graphic-novel style make this retelling perfect for independent reading as well as for group sharing.-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Primary) The wolf gets foiled five times over in this collection of thoroughly retold tales. First up are the Three Little Pigs (Alan, Gordon, and Blake), who may lose two out of three houses but successfully pack the wolf off to Greener Pastures -- where a bored Barry, shepherd, decides to rustle up "some excitement! Some Danger! Some Predators!" by calling "WOLF!" And so on. The adaptations aren't so much fractured as they are elaborated for an audience primed by snarky TV humor, as when Little Red Riding Hood, a.k.a. Rhonda, muses, "Doesn't the ribbon on this basket totally complete my look?" The wisecracking of the text is both echoed by the comic-strip format of the linked stories and balanced by the delicate drawing and pastoral tints of each panel, with the wolf himself being a dapper fellow and more to be pitied than feared. A large format (11" by 14") allows the illustrator great scope for drama-serving variety in panel size, shape, and placement. We leave the wolf roundly defeated by the seven little goslings...but on his way to Mr. McGregor's garden. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A hungry wolf just can't catch a break in these five loosely connected folktales. All are familiar, and amiably retold in large, sequential cartoon panels. Looking dapper in top hat and three-piece suit, the wolf first takes on three pigs (all of whom escape), moves on to the bored and foolish lad who cries "Wolf!" then is subjected to a fashion smackdown by Little Red Riding Hood. He unsuccessfully tries his luck again with the sheep under a woolen fleece snatched from Grandma's house, and finally proves no match for seven hyperactive goslings whose mother has gone off on an errand. Readers drawn by the unusually large trim size and Alley's animated, loosely posed figures will linger over the snappy dialogue (" 'I'll teach you to be rude to my granny, you fake!' screamed Rhonda, now clearly upset. 'And did no one ever tell you not to wear white after Labor Day?' ") and almost feel sorry for the feckless predatorwho is last seen eyeing a sign pointing toward Mr. McGregor's garden and considering turning vegetarian. (Graphic folklore. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Poor Wolf. He travels through five tales in sartorial splendor The Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, and The Wolf and the Seven Little Goslings but never manages to satisfy his hunger. Each of Wolf's intended meals trickily turns the kitchen table on him, leaving Wolf considering vegetarianism as he contemplates the sign pointing the way to Farmer McGreger's sic garden. While the stories' narrative paths tend to follow the originals, now they're layered with humor. The transitions between tales, visual and verbal, extend the fun, while dialogue balloons with pithy commentary (and adaptable font size) enrich the tongue-in-cheek narrative Cannily designed, this oversize comic book features traditional cartoon boxes, but they often morph into shapes to suit the action. The cocky personalities of both animal and human characters are cleverly detailed in watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations that have a buoyant appeal. This is a giggly read-aloud as well as a snortingly funny read-alone. Hand it to the transitional or reluctant reader and listen for the laughs.--Del Negro, Janice Copyright 2008 Booklist
