A Wolf in Bunny Clothing? Wolfie The Bunny by Amy Dyckman

THE BUNNY FAMILY CAME HOME TO FIND A BUNDLE OUTSIDE THEIR DOOR.

THEY PEEKED.

THEY GASPED. IT WAS A BABY WOLF!

"ADORABLE!" SAID MAMA. "HE'S OURS!" SAID PAPA.

It's love at first sight for Mama and Papa Bunny. They adopt little Wolfie without another thought, dressing him up in pink pajamas with bunny ears, totally smitten with their new baby. He is just so cute!

Only daughter Dot sees her new adoptive brother for what he is!

"HE'S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!" SAID DOT.

But despite Dot's repeated warnings, Mama and Papa seem blind to Wolfie's true nature. Dot is sure Wolfie is just shamming when he appears to prefer carrots, even though he obviously chomps rather than nibbles. But Mama and Papa cite his good behavior. He's a good eater and sleeper, Papa points out. Dot resents the newcomer, but her parents are too snookered with Wolfie to foresee what she sees coming.

Dot's vegetarian friends are not fooled.

""HE'S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!" THEY SCREAM.

"NO KIDDING!" SAID DOT. "LET'S PLAY AT YOUR HOUSE."

Wolfie grows bigger and so does his appetite. Dot is dispatched to the Carrot Patch to shop for groceries, and Wolfie, towering but still clad in a large pink coverall with rabbit ears, goes along to carry the shopping basket.

Dot is picking through the produce when suddenly Wolfie looks intently in her direction, bares his fangs, and starts to growl. I knew this was going to happen someday, thinks Dot!

Is nature about to trump nurture?

Not this time, in Amy Dyckman's delightful new bunny tale, Wolfie the Bunny (Little, Brown and Company, 2015), which cleverly stands the Ugly Duckling theme on its head. Dot is correct that Wolfie is no bunny rabbit, but Mama and Papa's nurture is vindicated when Wolfie and Dot join forces against a bear who has them both on his dinner menu. Youngsters waiting for Dot to be vindicated will be surprised but pleased when Dot and Wolfie team up to dispatch the bear and join hands, big sister and "little brother," as they head home for a big carrot dinner.

Dyckman's narrative keeps the storytelling tight but punchy, wisely keeping Wolfie out of the dialogue and leaving it to her illustrator to fill in the comic details, and Zachariah OHoro's charming acrylic artwork is pitch-perfect, with simple but telling illustrations of hip, city-dwelling rabbits in a different setting from the usual woodsy big-bad-wolf tale. A pleasant twist on the theme of family love and loyalty, this one will have young readers howling for more Wolfie and Dot stories.

"A treat of a picture book." says The Horn Book, joining most critical journals in their starred reviews.

Where's A Woodman When You Need Him?" Very Little Red Riding Hood by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap

Wolf thinks he's got the little girl with basket gig all figured out. He smiles, bows, checks out the contents of the basket for potential appetizer appeal, distracts the kid with some posies, and makes sure he gets into Grandmother's house for the main course.

But Wolf is not quite up to speed on toddlers in red capes. He approaches a small red-clad figure heading into the woods.

"A FOXIE!!" SQUEALED VERY LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

"AREN'T YOU SCARED?" ASKED THE WOLF.

NOT SCARED! NO TOUCH MY CAKES!"

O-kay. Not exactly as expected, but... close. Wolf moves down the checklist with the offer to pick some lovely yellow daisies for Grandmama.

Very Little Red Riding Hood stamps her little feet.

"NOOOOO! NOT LELLO!!

RED!"

Whatever, figures Wolf, picking a passel of poppies. Now to get into the cottage and he's in business! When Grandmama opens the door, she cries WOLF! But Very Little Red invites him right in for a tea party.

"OH, GRAMMA, IT ONLY FOXIE!" SHE EXPLAINS.

Three rounds of tea, a spot of tea dancing, what seems like hours of drawing and coloring, and one lo-o-o-n-g game of hide-and-seek later, Wolf figures it's time to get this folk tale back on track. Very Little Red insists that she's here for a sleepover. But sleeping reminds her of something serious.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE IS MY MUMMY!" SHE SUDDENLY WAILS.

A full-fledged toddler tantrum is not on Wolf's to-do list, but he gamely tries recycling some vaguely familiar lines.

"OH, WHAT A BIG SNOTTY NOSE! YOU HAVE," HE COOS (not without a touch of sarcasm.)

There's very little happy-ever-after for this fake Foxie in Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap's crack-'em-up fractured fairy tale, Very Little Red Riding Hood (The Very Little Series) (Houghton Mifflin Clarion, 2014), in which one gets the impression that Foxie, er, Wolf, is hereinafter going to limit his scams to little boys named Peter. Sue Heap's exuberant illustrations propel each page turn, and Teresa Heapy's narration is pure spoofy storytelling goodness. All the stars across the review firmament came out for this one. As the Bulletin for Children's Literature raves, "Heapy captures exactly the sort of afternoon very little storytime listeners long for.... Audiences will love seeing how a mere toddler can make even a mighty wolf feel sheepish."