<i>Wolf Won't Bite!</i> (review)
2012; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 65; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2012.0179
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
ResumoReviewed by: Wolf Won't Bite! Jeannette Hulick Gravett, Emily . Wolf Won't Bite!; written and illus. by Emily Gravett. Simon, 2012. 28p. ISBN 978-1-4424-2763-1 $16.99 R 4-6 yrs. In defiance of folklore, three pigs have captured a wild wolf, and now he's the star of their little circus production as the ringmaster gloatingly presents his patient submission: "I can stand him on a stool! I can dress him in a bow. . . I can ride him like a horse but WOLF WON'T BITE!" When the trio attempts to place their heads "between his mighty jaws," however, they have tried the wolf 's patience too far (fortunately, not to a fatal degree, as the endpapers show the wolf pursuing the three with a bit of the ringmaster pig's jacket in his mouth). The text is appealingly rhythmic, and the repetition of the "wolf won't bite" will encourage children to join in the reading. Youngsters will also relish seeing the outcome that they will surely know is coming (and the more tender-hearted will be glad to see that the pigs escape chastened but unscathed) as the poor, put-upon wolf finally reaches the end of his tether. Gravett uses a limited palette of gray, pale pink, red, cream, and gold in her watercolor and oil-based pencil art (which includes hand-lettered text) and the result is impressive in its simplicity and skillful rendering. Viewers will sympathize with the bewildered, shaggy gray wolf, whose ears indicate his unhappy tolerance of the situation as he is hauled around by the pigs and ridden like a circus pony, while the pigs in their circus-like outfits are winning in their unabashed brashness. The compositions are as bold as the saucy pigs themselves, and the pictures will translate as well to a crowd as they will to a single child. Wolf may not bite, but the kids will eat this up. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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