The Big Bad Wolf and Me

Perret's story is more of a children's graphic novel than a true picture book with a few frames on each page, and the story told mostly in dialogue between the young boy narrator and Benard/Zorro (aka The Big Bad Wolf). Color is used sparingly so that the illustration has a minmalist effect, and partly because of this illustration style and partly because of the characters of the boy and the wolf, I was reminded of a Calvin and Hobbes. The wolf is not very big and a bit reluctant about being bad. So, it falls to the boy to teach him how to go about doing these things while keeping the wolf secretly in his closet. The story is broken up into very short chapters. My guess is this book would probably be best for a young boy still in the easy reading stages looking for an accessible comic book/graphic novel. It could work as a fun read-aloud for someone doing a family storytime (that's the children's librarian in me coming out) for someone who liked to do different voices, but it's definitely written more for a slightly older audience, say 6 to 8 as opposed to a standard picture book audience. It might pair well with other non-traditional wolf stories like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Scieszka.

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.

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.

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.