APRIL 2012 - AudioFile
Andrew Watts evokes a complex wolf character whose believability is central to this twist on the traditional tale of “The Three Little Pigs.” He portrays Wilfong with a gruff edge that is reminiscent of the original “Big Bad,” but this wolf’s responses to his experiences with the Pygg brothers change both their stereotypes and the listener’s views of them. Watts quickly builds compassion for Wilfong as the wolf chatters with cold, gets sick on the bus, and “urps” on the Ferris wheel. Watts is equally skillful at evolving a convincing sense of how the Pygg brothers’ relationship with the friendly wolf changes. In the satisfying ending, Watts dramatizes Wilfong’s willingness to be part of the Pygg family as he helps defeat a really fierce bunch of wolves. S.W. 2012 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
In this hilarious chapter book, Wilfong the wolf can’t blow down the house that belongs to James, Marvin, and Lester Pygg, so he hangs around until the pigs build him a room of his own--with a latch on their side (“He was reformed, but he was still a wolf”). The characters are well developed, and all four chapters are lively and engaging. On a trip to the beach, Wilfong contends with motion sickness and sunburn, but manages to save the pigs from a riptide. In another chapter he fools a pack of menacing wolves (who look like they stumbled out of West Side Story) that surround the house. Wilfong is so disarmingly amiable that he eventually wins a permanent place in the Pyggs’s hearts and home. Seabrooke’s (Cemetery Street) first-rate dialogue is consistently fresh, and Callen’s (Reading, Rhyming, and ’Rithmetic) watercolors add to the slapstick humor. The story is filled with onomatopoeia ideal for read-aloud (“he wolf’s teeth chattered with cold. Clickety-click! Clickety-clack!”), but it’s the humor in the text and illustrations that will have children laughing and wanting more. Ages 6-9. (June)
From the Publisher
"[A] lively, accessible fractured tale. . . . a winning collaboration for independent readers ready to move on to meatier texts."—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] hilarious chapter book. . . . Will have children laughing and wanting more."—Publishers Weekly"Readers who are familiar with the traditional story will enjoy anticipating the twists in this more sophisticated version."—School Library Journal
School Library Journal
Gr 1–2—Can a wolf and three pigs ever be friends? That's the situation Seabrooke puts forth in this early chapter book. Wilfong, dressed in purple pants, red-and-orange striped socks, turquoise shoes, and a hot-pink scarf, is clearly an unusual wolf. When the Pygg brothers refuse to let him in, he huffs, puffs, and then decides, "If you won't let me in, I won't let you out." Luckily the Pyggs are prepared to stay inside all winter. After watching them play games, listening to their stories, and joining in with their sing-a-longs, Wilfong abandons the idea of eating them. The Pyggs eventually accept the idea of a wolf friend and build him his own room attached to their house. The real moment of truth arrives, however, when a hipster gang of wolves (all in stylish boots) decides to eat the pigs. Wilfong comes up with a creative solution—one that may even inspire young readers to look at their vegetables a little differently. The pencil, watercolor, and digital-media illustrations, while funny, are surprisingly abstract. A flattened 2-D perspective is used for some of the buildings and the wolves' heads. Instead of profiles, the illustrator shows the whole head, unnaturally angled. While there is more text than image, the art is important in establishing the characters' personalities. Readers who are familiar with the traditional story will enjoy anticipating the twists in this more sophisticated version.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
APRIL 2012 - AudioFile
Andrew Watts evokes a complex wolf character whose believability is central to this twist on the traditional tale of “The Three Little Pigs.” He portrays Wilfong with a gruff edge that is reminiscent of the original “Big Bad,” but this wolf’s responses to his experiences with the Pygg brothers change both their stereotypes and the listener’s views of them. Watts quickly builds compassion for Wilfong as the wolf chatters with cold, gets sick on the bus, and “urps” on the Ferris wheel. Watts is equally skillful at evolving a convincing sense of how the Pygg brothers’ relationship with the friendly wolf changes. In the satisfying ending, Watts dramatizes Wilfong’s willingness to be part of the Pygg family as he helps defeat a really fierce bunch of wolves. S.W. 2012 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Deviating from traditional retellings of "The Three Little Pigs," James, Marvin and Lester Pygg build one brick house together at the start of this lively, accessible fractured tale. Marvin and Lester, cleverly depicted reading a copy of the traditional book, suggest building with straw or sticks, but James insists on sturdy bricks to safeguard against hungry wolves. When Wilfong the wolf shows up, he huffs and puffs, but the Pyggs don't let him in-and in a twist, he doesn't let them out. Stubborn and hungry, he spies on the Pyggs, soon growing fond of them and of the food they compassionately share. After being slowly reformed and welcomed into the Pyggs' friendship, Wilfong cooks a vegetarian pot pie (not a lupine pie, as the title suggests) and serves it to a "bunch of big bad wolves" lurking outside. Fooled, they agree to leave as long as they get his recipe. Callen's humorous, vibrant multimedia art deftly matches the tone of Seabrooke's amusing tale, resulting in a winning collaboration for independent readers ready to move on to meatier texts. (Early reader. 6-8)
