The more the Big Bad Wolf tries to shed his big bad reputation, the more he gets the same terrified response from the local bird population. Big Bad Wolf is feeling lonely because he has no friends. He figures that if he weren’t so scary, he might make a few pals. So he endeavors to be good, but the geese will have nothing to do with his come-out-and-play routine. Snubbed, he decides to be good and useful, but the chickens aren’t about to let him into the hen house when he volunteers to baby-sit the chicks. Going whole hog, he decides to be good and useful and to do a noble deed. But the ducks flee from his offer to help find a missing duckling. They even accuse him of having eaten the little wanderer. Big Bad Wolf gnashes his teeth at this rebuff. Maybe he should just get super-bad and teach them all a lesson. When he happens across the AWOL duckling, he softens and brings it home. Mother Duck invites him in for tea, throwing caution to the wind and accepting him at face value. Chapman’s hammy pastels, with their hangdog wolf and frantic fowl, ably carry this story of just how hard it is to unsully a bad reputation and that intentions are good only if you keep following through. (Picture book. 4-7)
