Big Bad Wolves at School

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From Publishers Weekly When a carefree, nature-loving wolf named Rufus is sent to boarding school boot camp to learn the ways of the big and the bad, the results are expectedly comical. Hoping to toughen up their young free spirit, Rufus's parents send him to the Big Bad Wolf Academy. Much of the humor is found in Sneed's (The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians) whimsical watercolors of Rufus's days there. At the huffing and puffing range, he lazily blows dandelion seeds instead of blowing over wooden cut-outs of the Three Little Pigs in their houses, labeled respectively as Breezy, Gusty and Gale! Study questions include Which is easier to wear—a nightgown or pajamas?; in an especially hilarious spread, the wolves line up in their best grandmotherly disguises, adorned with matronly wigs, bedclothes and fuzzy slippers. Readers familiar with wolf fables will best appreciate the story's comedy, but all will cheer when Rufus's innate Canis lupus traits save the day. While the shaggy-headed wolf may appear to be a bored slacker in class—in one scene he has a pencil up his nose—the reason for his seemingly impertinent behavior rests in misunderstandings and mismatched priorities. Krensky's (Too Many Leprechauns) message seems to be that results are best when wolves are allowed to be themselves. Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3—When his parents fear that Rufus will not make it in the cold, cruel world, they enroll him in the Big Bad Wolf Academy to learn huffing and puffing, the art of disguise, and sheep as a foreign language. Poor Rufus doesn't fit in with the other students, who practice being wolves in sheep's clothing and debate the best way to enter a henhouse. On moonlit nights and sunny days, he finds better things to do than prepare for exams. Yet when the hunters come, he saves everyone by doing what wolves do best and graduates with a special medal. Sneed's watercolors of lean, lanky, yellow-eyed creatures give the story a slightly sinister dimension, and the contrast between the posturing wolves at the academy and Rufus's more naturalistic poses is striking. While they walk on two feet, Rufus is usually shown on all four and looks out of his element at his desk or in costume. Krensky's tale cleverly points out the limitations of storybook wolves and the advantages of being true to one's own nature. This story pairs well with the many fairy tales that feature wolves as villains.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more See all Editorial Reviews