The Wolf the Duck & the Mouse

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 7, 2018

Review

Barnett has created an original pourquoi tale and Klassen has brilliantly illustrated it. Mouse is swallowed by Wolf. Once inside Wolf's stomach, he meets Duck, who has been swallowed but has no intention of being eaten. Together, they quite enjoy the safety of living in Wolf's stomach; however, Wolf is quite uncomfortable. When a hunter hears Wolf's moaning and thinks to take a shot at him, Duck and Mouse band together to defend their "home" and Wolf is so grateful that he asks how he can repay the two. The book ends with the poor Wolf baying at the moon, "Oh, woe!" Klassen uses his recognizable mixed media style and palette of dark browns and grays to bring the story to life and Barnett uses his gift for storytelling and humor to breathe life into this wry folktale that feels like it always existed. A first purchase for public and school libraries.

Overall Book Score: excellent