by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 12, 2010

"What's wrong with you? Can't you see I'm a big and dangerous wolf?"

"I'm sure you are. But couldn't you be big and dangerous somewhere else…? This is a farm for educated animals."

Becky Bloom sets up a very funny plot twist in her children's book "Wolf." The poor wolf is tired and hungry after wandering for many days. Then he remembers a farm outside a quiet little village, and sneaks up on a pig, a duck and a cow - who are all reading in the sun. As he leaps at the animals with a wolfish howl, they studiously ignore him. "I can't concentrate on my book," the cow complains.

"Just ignore it," the duck responds…

The wolf decides that he'll learn how to read, too. He's seen walking up the stairs at the local school with thick eye glasses and a lunch box. "The wolf was serious and hardworking, and after much effort he learned to read and write." Then he rushes back to the farm, leaps over the fence, and surprises the farm animals again…by reading out lout to them, from his book.

"Run, wolf! Run!  See wolf run."

The farm animals are not impressed. So the wolf makes a second pilgrimage to the public library. Wearing a spiffy orange vest, he pores through stacks of old books. "They'll be impressed with my reading now," the wolf says to himself.

It's fun seeing the wolf assaying the worlds of education - and there's some very funny watercolors by illustrator Pascal Biet. The wolf has a long snout and pointy ears, but its his poses that tell the story. Whether he's peering out at the farm animals, or admiring himself in a mirror - you can always tell what the wolf wants to do next.

Unfortunately, even longer sentences fail to impress the farm animals, who insist that he work on his style. So the wolf visits a bookshop, and purchases the first book of his very own. The patrons at the bookstore are startled to see a wolf, but this time he approach the farm animals with confidence. "He read with confidence and passion, and the pig, the cow, and the duck all listened and said not one word…"

It's really a book about reading - but I've never seen such a clever way to deliver the message. Soon the farm animals are requesting more stories from their friend the educated wolf. He reads them about Little Riding Hood and a swashbuckling pirate. And soon they've invited him to join their party

And the illustrator sympathetically makes sure that the wolf finally does get some food - as he draws the pig sharing an apple with the wolf reclining in the sun…

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