Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

While this fractured folktale doesn't have the sustained wit of Jon Scieszka's similarly premised True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, it's funny enough to keep kids interested. Of considerably more interest are the rustic line-and-watercolor illustrations: although tonally at odds with the glib narration, they have a tongue-in-cheek naivete that precisely echoes the theme.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>A teasing similarity to Jon Scieszka's masterpiece, but without its enormous success. From the tale the Wolf tells, he is innocence incarnate. But his comments to the reader (and the illustrations) paint a different picture. It seems the Wolf was a handyman for Grandma, so he witnessed the kid's weekly visitsa"visits that made him feel left out and lonely. One particular day the Wolf was out gathering herbs (he's vegetarian) and spotted Little Red bearing her basket laden with dentist's-nightmare toffee. Taking the shortcut to warn Grandma to hide her teeth, he found her reaching for a dress and witnessed the fall and subsequent unconsciousness. Readers know the rest. Cohen's detailed watercolors echo the wolf's two-sidedness: One moment he appears to be a hardworking laborer, the next he is looking sly-eyed at Grandma. The final page shows him with a hobo's stick over one shoulder, a bandaged stump of a tail and a sly look in his eye, looking for his next job: "No, please. Look at me. Would I lie to you?" Well, would he? (Picture book. 4-8)</p>

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

Forward (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Shakespeare's Globe) adds to the growing list of fractured fairy tales with this wolf's version of events involving Little Red Riding Hood, delivered directly to readers in often witty banter ("I did odd jobs for the old woman. Called her <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Grandma. We were close"). But the furry fellow, a self-proclaimed vegetarian, portrays himself as vulnerable and insecure when describing "Little Red." ("Me, I didn't like the kid being there.... I felt left out.... They just ignored me.") Cohen's detailed watercolors shape the wolf's perspectives via different senses; the red-caped girl is depicted through his agape mouth—with many sharp teeth—as a reflection in his deep-set eyes and framed by his furry ears. The illustrations also help play up the discrepancies in the narrator's version of events (when the wolf "help[s]" Grandma try to get down her dress, she gets "a teeny tiny bump on the head that knocked her cold"). The story maintains a sense of humor throughout and ends with the wolf hamming it up yet again: "And if you ever want any odd jobs done around the house... Here's my card." His bookend refrain—"Would I lie to you?"—conjures up an image of the oily salesman. Ages 4-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Nov.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-The wolf's interpretation of what happened in the "Little Red Riding Hood" story tries too hard and misses the mark. He tells how he did odd jobs for Grandma and one day, as the woman was reaching into her wardrobe, she "accidentally" bumped her head and was knocked out cold. In a panic, he pushed her inside and donned her dress to fool the granddaughter who was knocking at the door. The text has several lapses in logic. In one situation, the girl says, "What BIG ears you have," and the response is "Oh, these old things,' I said, and changed the subject.'" However, he didn't change the subject since the girl is the next to speak. Throughout the retelling, the wolf poses questions that are meant to exude innocence-"Would I LIE to you?" "I did nothing wrong. Would I?" "Not everyone likes a wolf, do they?" The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations reveal a shiny-faced young girl, a cozy-looking grandmother, and a scraggly gray wolf with sly yellow eyes. They offer interesting perspectives: bird's-eye views of the forest; looking into the wolf's eyes to see the reflection of a small red-coated girl; and a view of the child framed by the wolf's tooth-rimmed mouth. At story's end, the animal walks away with his shortened tail wrapped in a bloody bandage while telling readers that he's still available for hire. Stick with Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (Viking, 1989) for a humorous, and involving, story of fabricated guilelessness.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.