There are a lot of great picture books that have wolves in them. Wolves are beautiful, strong creatures that can also represent scary things (like in the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood). Here are five great new-ish picture books that feature wolves, for those kids who love to howl at the moon.
Written by Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrated by Chuck Groenink
New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2023. Picture Book.
This is a beautifully illustrated story about a pack of new wolf pups and how they grow over the course of one moon’s cycle, from full moon to new moon and back again. Readers will see how the new pups don’t open their eyes for days, how they start to explore the world around them, and how the older members of the pack take care of them. The book also includes information about the phases of the moon at the end.
By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Boston: Clarion Books, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. Picture Book.
Little Wolf is a good wolf. Which isn’t so great considering his dad is the Big Bad Wolf and Little Wolf is supposed to be bad. So his wolf parents send him off to “Bad School,” where he can learn all about being bad. This is a great story to show how wolves are perceived, but also how wolves (or people) don’t have to conform to the stereotypes set for them.
By Greg Pizzoli
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Picture Book.
In this story Duck is feeling unlucky…until she isn’t. Duck orders roller skates…that turn out to be too big. Then Wolf comes along and tells Duck that she is the lucky winner of a soup pot (which Wolf wants to have eventually used to make Duck into a soup for him). This is a comedic story that shows that luck is a matter of perspective.
Written by Rachel S. Hobbs
Illustrated by Carolina Vázquez
Louisville, KY: Gnome Road Publishing, 2023. Picture Book.
In this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, the story is sprinkled with Spanish words. Little Red is heading to her abuela’s casa, only she keeps stopping to dance. And there is a wolf who has a bandoneón who wants to eat—or maybe dance—with her. This is a fun tale where the wolf isn’t a bad guy like in most versions, but only a swell guy who is learning Spanish and loves to dance.
Written by Katie Slivensky
Illustrated by Hannah Slayer
New York: Beach Lane Books, 2024. Picture Book.
Kids who love animals may wonder about the history of wolves becoming dogs and/or pets. This book is a fictional look at how one wolf pup could have been different, and wanted to become friends with humans. It shows what the life of a wolf would have been like hundreds of years ago, when the humans around were in the stone age. And it shows how it is believed that dogs came from wolves.
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