William McCleery (–2000)

Five year-old Michael can never get his father to tell him enough wolf stories. It seems the story usually involves a mean bad wolf who steals chickens, and the culprit always meets with a violent end. But this time, Michael wants things told a bit differently, and he demands a long story too, which his father sets out to tell him over the course of several days. The book alternates between the narration of the wolf story and the father and son rituals that bring them to the story time. The wolf, as expected, is mean and makes a plan to steal a little farm boy's beloved multicoloured chicken. The chicken is a smart one, and demands a reprieve because the wolf scarfs her down; if he lets her eat a large breakfast in the morning, she will be all the fatter for him to enjoy. Then, Jimmy, the farmer's son comes up with a clever plan to steal back his hen, though he knows in advance he'll have to prepare a good plan to foil the wolf's next attempt at abducting his targeted next meal. The plan is a very clever one, and it amuses Michael and his best friend, who joins along for an outing or two and the unfolding of the story. A fun twist on storytelling, though definitely aimed at small children. I was mostly curious because it's a recent release from NYRB featuring some nice spot illustrations and was available free from the library's OverDrive collection.… (altro)

Like Michael, my daughter would have liked it if I'd read the whole Wolf Story in one evening. She enjoyed following the story of the wolf and the boy and the hen named Rainbow; I enjoyed the realistic way McCleery portrayed the father-son (or parent-son) relationship. The father is constantly tired, and Michael is constantly trying to avoid sleep. Michael begs his father to tell the story, and father and son negotiate. The father makes the boy in the story the cleverest of all of the people in his family. Real life challenges intrude upon the story, and still the story continues.

We hear, along with Michael, this wolf story, but the story that comes through is of the love that this father has for his son (and the love his son has for him).… (altro)