The Big Bad Wolf and Me

The Big Bad Wolf and Me by Delphine Perret
Illustrated by Delphine Perret
Published by Sterling Publishing
2005

     A boy on his way home from school runs into a lonely figure sitting against a wall. At first he things it's a nice dog, but then the figure talks back and says that he is the Big Bad Wolf ("You know, the really scary one). The problem is that Wolf is not scary at all. In fact, he looks kind of scrawny. "Nobody believes in me anymore. I don't scare anyone. I'm done for."  So the boy grabs him by the hand and brings him home. The boy hides Wolf in his bedroom and begins his new job as the wolf's teacher, training him to become a true Big Bad Wolf.
     The Big Bad Wolf and Me is hilarious.  The dialogue and the scenes that take place between the wolf and the boy are truly funny.  I especially like their discussion around the wolf's name (the boy wants to name him Zorro, but the wolf insists that his name is Bernard -which won't work for the boy since that's the name of his great-uncle who smells like soap). Or this one:

Hey, what's the matter?
I just tried to eat you sister.
That's great! Go for it! She's a real pest.

     There is also a great detail on the inside papers. The front cover one has a picture of the boy roaring and the wolf cowardly covering his head with a pillow. And the back cover has a now "reformed" wolf roaring and the boy running away in utter terror. I loved the minimalist character of the illustrations, and the perfect blend of picture book, short chapters, and comics:

I'm really in love with this one. This unlikely friendship will captivate readers.Don't miss it!