Kirkus Reviews

Swallowed by a wolf, a mouse and duck defend their cozy belly from a hunter.When the mouse is swallowed, its lament wakes duck, abed "in the belly of the beast." Over breakfast, the mouse asks, "Where did you get jam?…And a tablecloth?" The response: "You'd be surprised what you find inside of a wolf." Readers will be, too: the duck manages a shipshape household that includes a four-burner cooktop, a nice set of knives, and formalwear for fancy dinners. The duck explains that living inside the wolf eliminates that daily, existential fear of being swallowed by wolves. The mouse stays; the two celebrate by dancing to records. The wolf, meanwhile, roils with stomach pain, which is then worsened by the duck's suggested "cure." "Eat a hunk of good cheese. And a flagon of wine! And some beeswax candles." When a hunter corners the ailing wolf, the mouse insists on fighting to "defend our home." It's this enterprising pair that wins the day: the hunter flees from its unexpected, armed trajectory out of the wolf's mouth. The grateful wolf extends a favor—which the duo redeems in phonograph records. Klassen's signature palette, compositions, and comedic, horizontally elongated eyes are here along with the heightened action propelled by Barnett's narrative. Barnett wrestles Aesop and Grimm into pretzels, adding a groaner ending ("And that's why the wolf howls at the moon") for the mustard. A howl. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

This latest Barnett/Klassen collaboration, an original pourquoi tale explaining why wolves howl, is a delightfully entertaining mash-up of familiar storytelling tropes combined in a wholly original way. Barnett's language is both funny and rich; Klassen's mixed-media illustrations are concentrated down to their essences, with striking tableaux that seem to capture each moment at the very peak of the action.

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Starred Review Gobbled up by a passing wolf, a woodland mouse bemoans his fate at is, until his wailing awakens the stomach's resident duck, cozily tucked in a bed. The duck then invites the mouse to a candlelit breakfast of toast and jam, laid out on a tastefully set table. Kids will already be giggling over the stomach's unexpected amenities ("You'd be surprised what you find inside of a wolf," says the duck), as the mouse marvels at his new surroundings. The pair have an excellent day together, cooking and talking, and when the duck points out the advantageous lack of predators in the wolf's belly, the mouse concedes that this life is pretty good. But when their impromptu dance party gives the wolf a painful stomachache, his moans attract a nearby hunter. Sensing trouble, the duck and mouse sally forth to protect their home in spectacularly hysterical fashion. Barnett and Klassen's collaborations are always good for a laugh, and this one banks heavily on absurdity, to great effect. Klassen's mixed-media artwork transforms the wolf's interior into a delightfully domestic scene, and Barnett's writing is peppered with amusing details. This original pourquoi tale will make a fantastic choice for storytimes, as kids will want to dance along with the duck and mouse en they're not rolling in the aisles, of course. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Beloved, acclaimed, and best-selling ything by this duo is going to go fast.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Barnett-s collaborations with Klassen often draw humor from knowledge withheld. Readers giggled because they knew Triangle was up to no good, and they saw the giant diamond that Sam and Dave missed while digging. In this big-hearted, gleeful caper, everyone shares the laughs. A sweet mouse with pink ears encounters a wolf in the forest. He escapes, right? Wrong. The wolf gobbles him up. Which is awful, right? Nope. It-s surprisingly comfortable inside the wolf. In fact, a duck is already in residence. -Where did you get jam?- the mouse asks over breakfast. -And a tablecloth?- It-s the wolf who suffers. -I feel like I-ll burst,- he moans, as the mouse and duck feast over a candlelit dinner. When a hunter closes in on the wolf, help comes from an unlikely place (and gives new meaning to the phrase -inner resources-). Klassen trades the spare look of his Hat books for a softer, more painterly style. Much of the action plays out against the warm, walnut brown wash of the wolf-s insides; Klassen lingers on the soft grays of fur and feathers. The domestic trappings of the wolf-s interior provide laughs (there-s a full kitchen and record player, the mouse gets hold of a hockey stick), as do touches of Gallic elegance (the mouse and duck dress for dinner, and there is wine). The story-s timeless, fable-like feel is bolstered by its traditional cast and old-fashioned fairy-tale language: -Oh, woe!- cries the wolf. -Oh shame!- Life can turn the tables pretty quickly, Barnett suggests, and only those whose outlooks are flexible will flourish. -I may have been swallowed,- says the duck, -but I have no intention of being eaten.- A rare treasure of a story, the kind that seems to have been around forever. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

K-Gr 2When a little mouse gets gobbled up by a hungry wolf, all seems lost until he makes an unexpected friend in the belly of the beast: a duck that may have been swallowed but has "no intention of being eaten." Indeed, life is not so bad inside the wolf. There's a comfortable bed, a grand dining room table, and a fully functional chef's kitchen. As the duck explains to the bewildered mouse, "You'd be surprised what you find inside a wolf." No longer do these small creatures worry about being devoured; they can sit back and relax in their confinement. They even conspire to get the wolf to down some good wine and cheese. Their wining and dining soon gives their host a terrible stomachache, attracting the attention of a hunter. Suddenly, all three lives are at risk and the new friends must act quickly to save themselvesand their safe and swanky new digs. Barnett's shrewd wit and subtle sense of irony come across expertly in short, snappy sentences, while the repeated refrain of "Oh woe!" and the pourquoi-tale ending lend the story a folkloric tone. Klassen's mixed-media art has a collagelike quality; the main characters and set pieces appear as cutouts placed against richly textured backgrounds of deep browns and black, with golden touches of pink and ocher, adding to the sense that readers are watching a dramatic play unfold. VERDICT Reminiscent of classic animal fables, with this winning team's signature humor and charm, this is a first purchase for any picture book collection.Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal