photo by gamene www.flickr.com
*Picture book (based on fairy tales) for preschoolers to first graders
*Big Bad Little Good Wolf as main character
*Rating: Good Little Wolf has few words, but the illustrations tell us all about this little wolf! Very cute.
Short, short summary:
The Big Bad Wolf is here to tell you, the reader, that he is actually a Good Little Wolf. He explains that he keeps his friends cozy in the winter, that he is very helpful and provides a place (in his mouth) for his friends to stay dry when it rains, and that he only likes to dress up like Little Red Riding Hood to help tell bedtime stories to his friends. In the spirit of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Good Little Wolf by Kristina Andres lets us know the wolf’s true character.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. If you are reading this book to a classroom of children, then do a K-W-L chart with them about the Big Bad Wolf or wolves in fairy tales. What do they know about the Big Bad Wolf? What do they wonder? After reading Good Little Wolf, what do they learn about this storybook character? If you are at home reading this book, discuss what your child believes about the Big Bad Wolf before reading the book together.
2. In this book, the illustrations tell the WHOLE story. Children can learn from reading the Good Little Wolf that in picture books, the illustrations are as important as the text. The text and illustrations work together to tell a story. They can also learn that if they are having trouble reading a page, the illustrations might give them a clue as to what the text says. Sometimes, we assume that children already know that they need to carefully look at illustrations and the importance of the pictures, but this is often not true unless we draw their attention to it.
3. On a T-chart, ask students to put their opinion of the wolf–do they think he is a Good Little Wolf or a Big Bad Wolf? To make this an interactive activity, give students a post-it note, ask them to write their name on it, and then put it on the chart under their opinion. When all children have voted, discuss the chart and why students believe what they do about the wolf. If you are reading this book at home, you can discuss with your child after reading this book (and maybe The True Story of the Three Little Pigs too) about what she thinks about the wolf. Ask your child to defend her opinion with specific events from the books.
Okay, so I have to ask–what do you think about the Big Bad Wolf? Is he just misunderstood?
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