The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation - Hardcover

Perret, Delphine

3.7

164 ratings by Goodreads

9781402786334: The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1402786336 ISBN 13: 9781402786334

Publisher: Union Square Kids, 2013

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The BIG BAD WOLF is back—and funnier (but not scarier) than ever!
Doesn't a wolf deserve a vacation, too? Bernard, the clever, cookie-munching hero of Delphine Perret's award-winning book, certainly thinks so. So when he learns that his pal Louis is vacationing by the sea with his grandpa, Bernard wants to go too. Soon they're off on a wacky road trip that ends with the perfect day on the beach. This much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning The Big Bad Wolf and Me is every bit as delightful as the first...and well worth the wait.

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About the Author:

Delphine Perret is the author-illustrator of numerous children's books published in France. The Big Bad Wolf and Me (Sterling) was the first to be published in the United States, and now, seven years later, she decided she was ready to revisit Bernard and his best friend, Louis. Delphine lives in Lyon, France, with her family.

Review:

“Bernard, the Big Bad Wolf who lives in Louis' closet, is back (The Big Bad Wolf and Me, 2006). Huzzah! Bernard is pretty much under control, and he's even vegetarian (except for fish), so why shouldn't he go on vacation with Louis and his grandpa? It's not as easy as one might imagine. Grandpa takes to the talking wolf quite easily, although Bernard hates pretending he's a dog. He can't help choose sandwiches, for example, since Louis is afraid the wolf will forget to walk on four legs and not to talk. 'I am wounded by your lack of trust' says Bernard haughtily. They even argue over who will be first in the water (it turns out to be grandpa). Twelve chapters are done in comic-book style, with multiple squiggly sketches that seem artless but are vividly funny. Human figures are blue, the elongated and angular wolf is brown and solid (everyone else is linear), and the occasional crab or cow is done in rust or maroon. The language remains simple, accessible, charming and quite funny in this nifty follow-up. Readers may find metaphors about imaginary friends, taming one's fears or having special fun with grandparents, but mostly, they will go from giggles to guffaws with this disarming trio.” —Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW) “'The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation' is Delphine Perret's very smart and thoroughly beguiling follow-up to the similarly marvelous 'Big Bad Wolf and Me' (2006), both of which were originally published in France. A hybrid picture book/chapter book/graphic novel for young children and newly confident readers, both books tell the story of Louis, a young boy with an active imagination and a Big Bad Wolf for a companion. His name is Bernard. And he's a secret.
He's also, occasionally, a distraction. He gets crumbs on Louis's neck while the child tries to finish his homework. 'You want me to leave you alone?' the Wolf asks, and when Louis says yes, can't help adding, 'I see you've made a few mistakes on your homework.' You can understand why Louis assents to the Wolf accompanying him on his beach vacation with Grandpa, with the caveat, 'You'd have to go incognito.'This may not be difficult, since the Wolf is drawn as mere shadow, with a brown blurry silhouette that stands in sharp contrast to Louis's bright blue outlines. He is often mistaken for a dog. There's also little danger of him eating anyone. 'You forget that I'm a vegetarian,' he points out to Louis. 'But you love salmon and sardines!' Louis retorts.
So goes the typical dialogue between the two friends—sometimes familiar, sometimes kvetchy—and it's just one of the book's many great charms. (At one point, the Wolf complains to Louis, 'I am wounded by your lack of trust.') Grown-ups will adore Grandpa and children will adore Louis. This Big Bad Wolf will win over everybody." —New York Times “It's been a while since The Big Bad Wolf and Me (2006), but Perret's little boy and his friend Bernard (aka the Big Bad Wolf) have lost none of their droll charm. Twelve short chapters tell the enjoyably aimless story of the boy taking a trip to the beach with his grandfather. Of course, Bernard wants to come, too. And he promises not to eat Grandpa! The subsequent road trip is colored by Bernard's hurt feelings (especially when a toll-booth worker calls him a 'cute little doggie'), childlike excitement . . . and mannered disdain ('I am wounded by your lack of trust'). Perret's pencil illustrations, usually delivered in four thumbnail sketches per page, are wonderfully spare, relying on just a few lines to give a sense of setting and props. The boy and his grandfather are equally doodle-like, while the wolf is an enigmatic silhouette that lends itself to individual interpretation. This is more attitude and style than anything else, but it has both in spades.” —Booklist

Praise for The Big Bad Wolf and Me:
A Miami Herald Best Book
A Nick Jr. Family Magazine “Editors' Pick”
“A little boy coaches a frightened wolf back to big-badness . . . both sophisticated and sublimely silly, this should please readers and listeners of all ages.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“This charming book sings with humor.” —School Library Journal
“Sophisticated humor makes the tale of an unlikely friendship between a boy and a down-on-his-luck wolf a chapter book not to be missed.” —Nick Jr. Family Magazine
“Irresistible . . . replete with the kind of ironic-cool humor and subtlety that made the 'Calvin and Hobbes' cartoons so beloved . . . takes simplicity and the art of the drawn line to admirable heights.” —The Boston Globe

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