I didn’t think I’d turn into my Mum. But I’ve turned into my Mum. With ALL the same catchphrases… *Toddler pokes tongue*… “The wind’ll change and you’ll be stuck like that!”… *Toddler’s 1cm from the tellie*… “Don’t sit so close you’ll ruin your eyes”. And the Mum-equivalent of the red detonation button…. “YOU’VE GOT UNTIL THE COUNT OF 3…”
But with a threenager, who’s discovered how to tell fibs, I now often find myself referring to the “little boy who cried wolf”. That classic tale of the idle little chap who repeatedly cries “wolf” for a bit of a laugh, but after several false alarms, the villagers stop running to his rescue. So when a real wolf skulks in, the little lad gets gobbled. Yup, that most reassuring of bedtime stories / Mum threats. So with the current trend to flip well-known fairytales on their head, The Wolf Who Cried Boy really appealed to me. And it hasn’t disappointed. We truly LOVE this book.
The Wolf Who Cried Boy is laugh-out-loud funny. You have the little wolf who cries “BOY” all the time… even when the “wind tickles his ear”. And on the other side of the stream (you guessed it), a little boy who cries “WOLF” all the time… even when the “lid is blown off the bin in the yard”. After the two repeatedly go about their days, one crying “BOY” and the other crying “WOLF”, their wolfpack / villagers learn to ignore them. Then one warm Spring morning by the stream… they discover each other. Cue the screaming and a VERY funny spread. All building up to a delightfully satisfying ending that champions bravery and acceptance.
James O’Neill’s writing is just marvellous… deadpan humour and yet wonderfully warm. And Russell Ayto’s illustrations are ever-so-slightly Maurice-Sendak-like (Where the Wild Things Are). A modern, cheeky and heartfelt retelling – one to own.
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