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BIG BAD WOLF IS GOOD

Name: BIG BAD WOLF IS GOOD
Author: Simon Puttock
ISBN: 0-8069-0027-X

by Simon Puttock & illustrated by Lynne Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2002

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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)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-8069-0027-X

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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FLUFFYWUFFY
by Simon Puttock ; illustrated by Matt Robertson

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MOUSE'S FIRST NIGHT AT MOONLIGHT SCHOOL
by Simon Puttock ; illustrated by Ali Pye

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THE BABY THAT ROARED
by Simon Puttock & illustrated by Nadia Shireen

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE BEST CHEF IN SECOND GRADE

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

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An impending school visit by a celebrity chef sends budding cook Ollie into a tailspin. He and his classmates are supposed to bring a favorite family food for show and tell, but his family doesn’t have a clear choice—besides, his little sister Rosy doesn’t like much of anything. What to do? As in their previous two visits to Room 75, Kenah builds suspense while keeping the tone light, and Carter adds both bright notes of color and familiar home and school settings in her cartoon illustrations. Eventually, Ollie winkles favorite ingredients out of his clan, which he combines into a mac-and-cheese casserole with a face on top that draws delighted praise from the class’s renowned guest. As Ollie seems to do his kitchen work without parental assistance, a cautionary tip or two (and maybe a recipe) might not have gone amiss here, but the episode’s mouthwatering climax and resolution will guarantee smiles of contentment all around. (Easy reader. 6-7)