The Wolf who cried Boy

A diet of Chocolate Moose, Minced Mole Rolls and Three Pig Salad has little appeal for Little Wolf. He listens attentively to his parents’ accounts of the days when they dined on Boy Chops, Baked Boy-tato and Boys-n-Berry Pie and decides to liven life up a little by crying ‘Boy’. After two fruitless boy-hunts instigated by Little Wolf, the parents tumble to his tricks which really is a pity for them as a whole troop of boy scouts arrives in the woods. Discredited, Little Wolf just has to learn to like the food on offer and so the boys can live happily ever after.

One of an increasing number of books which seeks to destabilise traditional stories, The Wolf who cried Boy succeeds wonderfully well in its aim. Raglin’s illustrations, a homage to Maurice Sendak, show him as a talented artist in his own right. Both illustration and text, and this includes design and layout of text, conspire to create a book which is sure to be returned to again and again.