The Complete Polly and the Wolf (New York Review of Books)

Due to their voracious appetite, wolves have a nasty reputation in children's stories. Three such examples are Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and Peter and the Wolf. Recently, I was introduced to a new set of stories that followed these same plot device of hungry wolf and innocent character trying not to be eaten. It is entitled The Complete Polly and the Wolf. Allow me to tell you a little bit about it.

The Complete Polly and the Wolf is a collection of four volumes of stories - Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, Polly and the Wolf Again, Tales of Polly and the Hungry Wolf, and Last Stories of Polly and the Wolf. The volumes were written by Dr. Catherine Storr and were originally written for her daughter who was always afraid of a wolf under her bed. There are 36 stories total in this collection, each no more than a few pages. Like most wolf stories, the wolf is the villain only thinking about his appetite and trying to eat the child Unlike most wolf stories, the wolf and the would-be victim have a running dialogue. The Wolf and Polly discuss why he wants to eat her, how he plans to catch her, and why he never succeeds. The stories start out with her very young and progress in complexity as she grows older. The game borrows from fairy tales occasionally, as the Wolf reads a lot of books, so he is trying to draw on what he has read to eventually catch her and eat her. The closing story involves the Wolf being captured and Polly coming to his aid. She defends him so that the people will not kill him, but he ends up tricking her (for once) and escaping. The stories are cute and fun and a nice twist on the traditional wolf stories. I read them to my son at night and he thinks they are both funny and silly.

This book was provided to me for free by New York Review of Books in exchange for an honest review.

Wolf Story and The Bear That Wasn't (New York Review of Books)

As a fairly new father, I have quickly learned that reading to my son is about what he wants to read, not what I want to read. I can suggest a book until I am blue in the face, but if he finds some of his favorite books, we will read those books ad nauseum. I will admit, I have hidden those books a time or two just to give him exposure to other books and to give myself a break, but they don't stay hidden for long and before you know it, the old favorites are being read and re-read and re-read. It is for that reason that I, like most parents, can relate so well to Wolf Story.

Wolf Story is a story within a story. One night a man was putting his five-year old son Michael to bed. The man began to tell Michael the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but Michael asked for a new story. The new story involved a hen, named Rainbow; a wolf, named Waldo; and a boy, named Jimmy Tractorwheel. Unlike most stories, where there is one narrator, Michael chimes in on his father telling the story to add his own personal details and make the story his own. The storytelling is not a one night event, but spans many nights and various outings Michael and his father make. In addition to the book being very funny (for kids and adults), I just liked the idea of the book, because it showed a special bond between this father and son and a memory they will be able to look back on when they are both older. This is one book I can't wait to share with my son when he is older, and it is also one I actually hope he asks me to read over and over to him again! Just be sure to read it slowly, like a chapter a night, and not rush through it!

The Bear That Wasn't has been dubbed a modern fairy tale or a fable for adults. In this story, a bear did what bears do and found a cave to hibernate for the winter. When he woke up, a factory was built around the cave. He thought it was a dream, but all of a sudden a factory foreman came running in and ordered him to get back to work. Despite the bear's insistence that he was in fact a bear, no one believed him. He tried to convince all the foremen and vice-presidents that he was a bear, but they didn't believe him either. They even took him to a zoo and a circus, and the bears told him he wasn't a real bear either. You'll have to read the rest to see how it ends.

This book has been re-printed by other publishers, but the hardcover from New York Review of Books is the best edition to get because of the size that capture all of the illustrations beautifully. Apart from the illustrations in this book, it also comes with a good message to remember who you are and be who you are, despite what other people try and make you into. A lot of people have said this was their favorite book as a child. and I can see the merit in it. It wasn't the best book I read, but it is a good book, and if you can find it for a reasonable price, then I'd pick up a copy. 4 stars.

These books were provided to me for free by New York Review of Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found these reviews helpful, click here and/or here and hit Yes!

The Troll With No Heart in His Body and The Terrible Troll-Bird (University of Minnesota Press and New York Review of Books)

The Troll With No Heart in His Body is a compilation of nine troll tales from Norway compiled and re-told by author Lisa Lunge-Larsen. In addition to the tale the book is named after, you will also see stories such as "Butterball," "The Boy and the North Wind," and the well known/personal favorite "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." The book begins with a note from the author, which includes the importance of folk tales, childhood memories of these Norse tales, and fifteen lessons she learned from these tales. Before she gets to the stories, she also includes a map, because when trolls die they help reshape the landscape around them.

Each story is written in large print and includes helpful features like pronunciations and BOLD font so you know when to make your troll voice loud and booming. At the end of each tale are two features. The first is the phrase, "Snip, snap, snout, This tale's told out!" This is a cute translation of a Norse phrase and is a nice touch. The second feature at the end of the tales is a little side box of text, which tells the origin of the story and what the author changed in the story (if anything). The illustrations have an old world feel to them, as they are beautiful woodcuts that seem so appropriate for this style of book. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially if you are a family with Scandinavian or if you just want to expose your children to quality literature. The book could have stood alone on its own with the stories, but the gorgeous illustrations complete it; making it a favorite around my household for both children and adults.

The Terrible Troll-Bird is another Norse book from the authors and illustrators Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. The story focuses on Ola and his three sisters, Lina, Sina, and Trina. They are off to go get firewood one day when they spied an enormous troll-bird. The natural reaction was fear, but when they returned home they were able to slay the bird, cook it, and used its feathers for down. While cooking, trolls followed their nose and showed up. Fortunately, the sun was coming up about that time so no one was hurt/killed and the trolls were wiped out by the sun.

The illustrations are really the best aspect of this book. Some are color and some are black and white, but all of them are very harshly sketched out and felt very troll-like. Overall, the story was a little lacking, and while I'd recommend checking it out from the library, I wouldn't recommend owning it unless you found it on sale, your kids absolutely love everything troll-related, or you want to own all books by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire.

These books were provided to me for free by University of Minnesota Press and New York Review of Books in exchange for honest reviews. If you found these reviews helpful, click here and/or here and hit Yes!