Review by Booklist Review
I AM NOT CUTE!!! roars a shelter dog recently rescued off the streets, scowling and proclaiming herself a scary beast and a lone wolf. Unfortunately, as she has the general look of a small, brown potato in Miller's cleanly drawn cartoon closeups, her wildest yaps only leave everyone in sight, even the local pigeons, smiling. The visually presented plot line begins in an alley, where the little boot-chewer is found, caged, and transported to an outdoor pen, joining crowds of happy-looking dogs who are inspected by more crowds of smiling prospective owners. She sees other dogs carried off in loving arms, but will the right family for her ever come along? No fears one glance from Pearl, a button-eyed, brown-skinned child, and the bonding is instant: Wolf? I am Wolf, the new adoptee barks, lunging fiercely against a leash in the final scene of Pearl and her (biracial) parents, and this is my pack. A joyful debut, starring a stray with the force of personality, if definitely not the disposition, of a Chris Raschka dog.--John Peters Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A small, watermelon-shaped dog with two sharp fangs and prick ears barks like a ferocious wolf. But, judging by the amused expressions on the shelter workers' faces, she's not that scary. Prospective pet owners react differently to the wannabe wolf as she tries to prove herself unadoptable-she tears up her bed ("I am not cute") and gobbles down her food ("I am not sweet"), then sits miserably in her enclosure, quietly insisting "I am a lone wolf." But readers will notice someone noticing her-an exuberant girl in a tutu who kisses her and names her "Wolf." Debut creator Miller's boldly expressive cartoons show the varying temperaments of dogs and humans. Even the lone wolves of the world, her friendly story suggests, need love. Ages 4-8. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
An opinionated city pup resists domestication in this debut picture book. In declarative, hand-lettered statements, the canine narrator claims to be a fearsome lone wolf who is definitely not cute. Full-spread, rich-toned illustrations tell another story: the "scary beast" is a tiny, yappy stray with her guard up. Simple sentences and humor will appeal to young listeners; the heartwarming conclusion will charm dog lovers of all ages. (c) Copyright 2021. 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
Wolf vigorously denies that he's cute. He's wrong.The eponymous wolf is a rotund, fanged, puglike, stray dog, and its first-person narration is printed in emphatic capital letters: "MOST WOLVES LIVE IN PACKSBUT NOT ME. / I AM A LONE WOLF." This last line is accompanied by pictures of two apron-clad people approaching the little dog. The aprons are emblazoned with a paw-print emblem, and the people cautiously crate the dog as it snaps and cries, "BARK BARK BARK." The next spread shows the dog glowering in a pen within a cheery-looking animal shelter. The text reads, "I'M FINE ON MY OWN," as happy, diverse families (notably including same-sex couples) smile while interacting with other dogs. Just below this textual rebuff arrives the girl poised to flout such sentiments. She has brown skin and voluminous, curly black hair, and she's trailed by a woman who reads as her mother, with similar coloring, and a white-appearing, bespectacled man who reads as her dad. Unlike others, the girl is charmed by the dog, who continues to "BARK!" even at sympathetic workers. In a wordless spread, notable for its spare focus on them alone, the girl hugs the dog, then dashes away, leaving it bereft. But! She returns, leash in hand, and Wolf leaves with her family, now exclaiming, "I AM WOLF. / AND THIS IS MY PACK." Working digitally, newcomer Miller creates her cartoon characters with emphatic swatches of matte color against generous white space.Lovable. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
