posted on 05 Feb 2025

The Greedy Wolf by Timothy Knapman, illustrated by Jean Jullien

I have a huge collection of wolf related stories, some of which paint him as the archetypal baddie and others that depict him as much maligned or multi-faceted, even kindly. One aspect that is rarely disputed is that he has a ferocious appetite - so the title of this dramatically illustrated new picture book was no surprise.

The vibrantly coloured cover shows a wolf looking rather worried with his sharp teeth and tongue lolling out. When I asked a group of four-year olds who were familiar with the traditional story of The Three Little Pigs to describe why he looked so worried, one explained: ‘he probably thinks that he needs to catch some more pigs, and he is quite fed up with doing that.’ Another (possibly a vegetarian child) pointed out that he could always try eating something different for a change because too much meat wasn’t very good for animals. 

On the first page we learnt that he is so greedy that he eats ‘enough food for TEN birthday parties’ but his deep craving is to gobble up some 'fresh young goats’, which the illustration shows him dreaming about using a thought bubble. As luck would have it, he happens to pass by a house where a family of goats are living, just as the Mummy Goat is leaving to get some food for her seven kids. The children gasped with dismay at the very clear implications for the greedy wolf.

As the story unfolds, he tries very hard to persuade the innocent looking kids to let him into the house to carry out his dastardly plan. This involves him pretending to be a postman and an ice-cream man but they aren’t tempted. In a panic, he pretends to be a talking rose bush with a flowerpot on his head who has been sent as their babysitter. Despite being a ludicrous idea, this excuse works and they let him in.

We liked the double page spread that shows him eagerly rushing through the door wearing a ridiculous improvised outfit. He is greeted by one of the kids who doesn’t look at all concerned at her likely fate. In fact, we agreed that she looks positively happy and rather sneaky. We tried to guess why this might be the case but none of us predicted the very unusual reason, or the eventual outcome. When Mummy Goat eventually arrives back home, the whole family plans to enjoy their favourite meal together – ‘yummy, scrummy wolf meat’. We were all very relieved to see the very frightened wolf make his escape across the final pages in a comic book style chase.   

I recommend this very funny picture book published by Walker Books. You will be able to get a copy form your local independent bookshop and if they don’t have copies on their shelves, they will be happy to order it for you.

 

Karen Argent

February 2025