The illustrations don’t pick up on the topicality of this import, so some discussion might be required when it’s shared with fledgling Internet users. A predatory but lazy wolf strikes up a correspondence with a tender lamb he’s spotted in a nearby valley, and eventually invites him to visit. Before the eager lamb can set out, however, his cautious mother decides to check the post office to find out all she can about this “Wolfgang.” The irascible canine postmaster refuses to cooperate until the wolf himself shows up, snarling threats. The outraged ewe forces the wolf to write a “goodbye” letter, then gathers up her family and moves to Australia. Maczka distances readers by giving the wolf a portable typewriter rather than a PC, and placing the whole episode in an outdoorsy setting—but the message is plainly there and definitely worth sharing despite the simplistic ending. (Picture book. 6-10)
