The Lamb Who Came for Dinner

The traditional big bad wolf is in danger of losing his reputation with stories such as Ian Whybrow’s Badness for Beginners, Mary Rayner’s The Small Good Wolf, not to mention Marni McGee’s Winston the Book Wolf. In this latest addition to the canon we have a meat-starved old wolf whose wish for lamb hotpot is seemingly granted when a freezing cold lamb knocks on his door asking for shelter. However, Wolf’s resolve to eat his guest crumbles after his efforts to cure lamb’s hiccups culminate in a cuddle and a kiss. Wolf thrusts temptation back out into the snow and before long is searching the woods for the lamb. All ends happily with Wolf, now a confirmed vegetarian, sharing his home and supper with Hotpot.

Wolf’s battle with his lupine nature, the growing bond between the pair and the triumph of love and vegetarianism is eloquently told in Dreidemy’s droll watercolour illustrations. JB