I can’t recall who recommended Emily Gravett’s WOLVES to me. Once I had my hands on it, I devoured it before looking at the copyright date. I was flabbergasted when I discovered that WOLVES came out in 2005. I would’ve guessed it was hot off the presses. What makes this book ahead of its time?

It’s got spot-on dark humor in the vein of Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back.

It’s meta like Mo Willems’s We Are in a Book.

And it’s subversive (subverts our picture book expectations) like Mac Barnett’s Guess Again!

Title: WOLVES

Written and illustrated by: Emily Gravett

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005, Fiction

For Ages: 4 and UP

Themes/Topics: predator/prey relationship; thwarting reader expectations; imagination, meta books (book within a book)

First page text:

Shh! {placard hanging in library}

Rabbit went to the library.

He chose a book about…

WOLVES {title of book Rabbit is holding}

Summary (from publisher):

What do wolves really like to eat? It isn’t little girls in red hoods.
Rabbits shouldn’t believe what they read in fairy tales, but this book has the facts.

(This book follows the National Carroticulum.)

Why I Like This Book: A cute rabbit checks out a book titled WOLVES from the library. Rabbit reads facts about wolves and we read with him. But as he reads, he becomes more and more absorbed in the book until he is completely inside the rather dangerous red book within the book. If you think things do not end well for Rabbit, you’re right. But, fear not, the author provides an alternative ending “for more sensitive readers.”

The illustrations are handled brilliantly throughout and I love the clever library card from the “West Bucks Public Burrowing Library” at the start of the book and the growing pile of mail, including an overdue notice from the library, at the end.

Ideas for Teachers: I think upper elementary students would enjoy reading how Emily Gravett created this groundbreaking debut picture book. This article includes sketches and a chronological detailing of her artistic process. It’s worth noting that Ms. Gravett did not know how things would end for her little Rabbit until she had nearly completed the writing and illustration process.

(For a colossal list of links to picture book reviews, along with resources, please visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s site: http://susannahill.com/for-teachers-and-parents/perfect-picture-books/.)