This irresistible book is about: a father; his five-year-old son, Michael (intelligent, crafty, addicted to stories); Michael’s best friend Stefan (stalwart listener, equally addicted to stories); and, well—what else?—a story.
Oh, and a wolf. It is as Michael always demands: a Wolf Story, which begins one night at bedtime and spins wildly on through subsequent bedtimes and Sunday outings to the beach and park in a succession of ever more trickily tantalizing episodes. Waldo the wolf is sneaking up on Rainbow the hen, when Jimmy Tractorwheel, the son of the local farmer, comes along. After that, there’s no knowing what will happen next, as while stalled in traffic jams or nodding off at night, the boys chime in and the story races on and Waldo finds, if not necessarily dinner, his just desserts.
First published in 1947 and wonderfully illustrated by Warren Chappell, William McCleery’s Wolf Story is a delicious treat for fathers and sons and daughters and mothers alike.--from the publisher
88 pages 978-1590175897 Ages 5-9
Editor's Note: Great read aloud for lower elementary students.
*******
Hands-down best read-aloud for the lower elementary grade levels that I have found is an old classic by William McCleery, “Wolf Story.” Great voice with plenty of humor. The kids identify with the young characters in this story and find the attempts of the father to finish the story amidst the interruptions of his young audience to be hilarious. The story’s conclusion leads to interesting discussions about nature vs. nurture and humankind’s interaction with animals.
Reading tip: Walk around the classroom while reading this story. This promotes more active listening to those students who need movement to maintain attention. Use voices for the characters (especially for the parts of the chicken and the wolf) and play it up with action and drama. My second graders did not want to go out to recess while this book was being read aloud. Whenever I had to stop for a break at the end of reading time, the students would cry, “No!” And they would cheer when they realized that it was again time for “Wolf Story.”
Recommended by: Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud, Teacher-Librarian-Author, JAPAN
See more of her recommendations and original writings at: BelovedOfBeasts.com
