Becky Bloom

Genre: Fiction

Summary: In this book, a very hungry and tired wolf goes to a farm to get some dinner. When he gets to the farm he meets a whole bunch of animals who are reading. The farm is for educated animals only; they do not pay any attention to the wolf and they tell him to go away. Determined to show the animals that he is smart, the wolf studies hard and learns to read. Once he has mastered reading, the wolf goes back to the farm and reads stories to the animals on the farm.

Uses in the Classroom: This is a book that I would more likely read one on one, versus to the whole class. I would like to read it to a struggling reader because it shows that with a little hard work and determination, everyone can learn how to read. However, the way the other animals judge and shun the wolf for not being able to read would make me not want to read it in front of a whole class. The other animals never learn that celebrating ones differences is okay, so it makes it seem like bullying is okay.… (altro)

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked how the other animals accepted the wolf once he learned to read, but I did not like how they told the wolf he could not be included at first because he was not "educated." Personally, I do not know if this is he best message to be showing kids. Every person is different, and their strengths will be different, as well as their weaknesses. I believe that this book can be used to push young readers into thinking about the issues of this book. Questions could be asked such as, "Do you think it was nice for the other animals to exclude the wolf?" It could get children thinking about the feelings of others. I also liked this book because of the plot. It showed conflict within the story. The conflict was the wolf was not being accepted into the group unless he learned how to read. The overall theme of the story is the determination and effort that it takes to learn to read and become educated. I just feel the author may have gone about it in the wrong way.… (altro)