Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Sometimes good manners can backfire, as a young wolf discovers when he goes hunting alone in the forest for the first time. He quickly catches a rabbit, but the polite wolf grants him a last wish. The rabbit wants a story. Does the wolf happen to have a book with him? Rabbit promises to wait right there until he comes back with a book. Fast-forward: no rabbit! The next prey, a fast-talking chicken, demands that his last wish for music must be respected, resulting in another broken promise when he, too, isn't there upon the wolf's return. The third victim, a little boy, wants a drawing to show his friends in their hut in the woods. In a surprising twist, the friends are the chicken and rabbit. Oops! An impolite wolf exits in a hasty pursuit of his dinner. So much for manners! French illustrator and graphic artist Maudet is in his humorous element here with his characterizations of the emotional wolf, whose escalating anger at his failure to catch food is depicted with simple line drawings. A palette of rich reds, yellows, and browns against pages with plentiful white space contributes to this cockeyed tale of politeness gone awry. Jon Klassen fans rejoice another twisted ending!--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Originally published in France, this wicked gem of a story from Leroy (Superfab Saves the Day) and Maudet (A Mammoth in the Fridge) proves that manners matter, even when one isn't doing something terribly polite, such as hunting prey. The well-mannered wolf of the title strikes out with a butterfly net in hand, dressed in a buttoned-up polo shirt and shorts that don't exactly scream big or bad. After capturing a rabbit, he asks, "What is your last wish before I eat you?" Freedom is out of the question, but a story isn't, and the wolf runs home to grab a book. "I won't move a muscle, I promise!" says the rabbit, who promptly moves several muscles to get out of there. The process repeats when the irritated wolf catches a chicken, but the tables turn after the wolf snags a human boy who sticks around as promised. Maudet's airy, lighthearted cartooning bolsters the comic timing of Leroy's fablelike tale, though well-used flashes of red offer reminders of the deadly stakes. And as in many fables, it's the dishonest who suffer-not the hungry. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Unlike most fairy-tale villains, this predator has manners to a fault. Well, to his own fault, that is. In Leroy's latest picture book, readers are introduced to a capable rogue eager to devour his recently caught prey. Fortunately for them (but unfortunately for him), the young wolf was raised with a code of ethics that places high value upon respecting someone's last wish. Imagine the wolf's dismay when he returns from fetching the proper last wish materials (a book for a story, a guitar to play music), only to find that his captives have scampered off. One little boy requests a drawing and stays put, however, and upon receiving a wonderful hand-drawn portrait, he eagerly leads the wolf to his house so that they may display his new work of art to his friends, who, it turns out, have definitely met this wolf before. Maudet's simple yet effective pencil and digital illustrations are well suited to match the author's acerbic wit. The clean font and easy-to-follow story make this a great option as a read-aloud. But for independent reading, this book would work best with first and second graders. VERDICT A wickedly funny dark picture book that will be adored by mischievous young readers.-Maria Alegre, The Dalton School, New York City © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A hungry young wolf well-versed in manners goes hunting alone in the forest for the first time with net in hand. The gullible predator falls for his captives' last wishes, allowing their escapes until a boy--who also has good manners--unwittingly leads the wolf back to his previous prey. The flat, graphic design of this tongue-in-cheek French import includes mustard-hued illustrations and speech bubble dialogue. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young wolf goes hunting for the first time and learns his prey can be craftynot to mention a bunch of liars.Leroys wolf in this French import has a wolfish streak, but he is also a gentleman. His first quarry is a rabbit, caught in a butterfly net. Well-mannered to a fault, the wolf asks the rabbit for its last wish: to be read a story. The wolf rushes home to get one after the rabbit promises not to move a muscle. The three vignettes that depict his rushing home, choosing a book, and rushing back are hysterical. Arriving back at the scene, the wolf finds the rabbit has vanished. Wait...hes gone? Oh, that liar! His next prey, a chicken, pulls a similar bamboozlement, but the little boy he nabs soon thereafter is true to his promise not to move. So not only does the wolf grant him his last wish, a drawing, but he agrees to let the boy show it to his friends (yes, rabbit and chicken). When the wolf sees them in their woodland clubhouse, he walks away after a page turn. Readers are left to their own devices in solving the riddle, but the absence of the rabbit and the chicken in the frame may be a clue. Maudets artworkvignettes, full-page illustrations, two-page spreadsare colored in earth tones that make for clean, rural tableaux. So where do good manners get you? Hunger here and salvation there. Life is a mystery. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
