'There's a wolf in the woods
and everyone said,
"She's big and she's bad,
she's old and she's hairy.
Best leave her alone - she's mean
and she's SCARY!"'
Despite the warnings, the little animals creep closer
and closer to old Grandma Wolf, playing their own version
of the time-honored game called What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?
These curious creatures are in for a big surprise when
it's dinnertime...'
01 - Cover
02 - Title
03 - 'There's a wolf in the woods, and everyone said,
04 - "She's big and she's bad, she's old and she's hairy.
Best leave her alone, she's mean and she's SCARY!"'
05 - 'But we wanted to know,'
06 - 'so we crept a bit closer...'
07 - (no text)
08 & 09
'and Piglet, who's brave, shouted..."WHAT'S THE TIME,
GRANDMA WOLF?" And she opened her eyes -- they were
very, very big -- and yawned, "It's time I got up."'
10 - 'So we crept a bit closer, and Fawn, who's shy,
whispered, "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
11 - 'And she pricked up her ears -- they were very, very
big -- and said, "It's time I brushed my teeth."'
12 & 13
'So we crept a little closer, and Crow, who is noisy,
squawked, "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
'And she took down a kettle -- it was very, very
big -- and said, "It's time I scrubbed the stew pot."'
14 & 15
'So we crept closer, and squirrel, who's sassy, squeaked,
"What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
'And she fetched a sharp ax -- it was very, very
big -- and said, "It's time to chop wood."'
16 & 17
'So we crept a little closer and Badger, who's bold,
barked, "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
'And she picked up two pails -- they were very, very
big -- and said, "It's time I fetched some water."'
18 & 19
'So we crept a little closer, and Duckling, who's silly,
quacked, "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
'And she looked down her nose -- it was very, very
big -- and said, "It's time to light the fire!"'
20 & 21
'So we crept even closer and Rabbit, who's reckless,
giggled, "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?"'
22 - "It's...DINNERTIME!"
23 - 'So we all settled down to a vegetable stew, and old
Grandma Wolf, what did she do?'
24 - 'She read us our favorite story!'
Ages 4-7. Grandma Wolf smiles with sharp teeth. A little pig in the background has his face up to his hands, reminiscent of Macaulay Culkin in the movie Home Alone. The dust jacket illustration makes it seem as if a scary story is ahead. And why not? A big hairy wolf has moved into the woods, and all the animals know they should leave her alone. Curiosity gets the best of them, however; they creep up on her cottage and keep asking "What's the time, Grandma Wolf?" Each answer seems more threatening: time to wash the stew pot, chop the wood with a sharp ax, make the fire. But when she finally yells, "It's dinnertime!" instead of running, the animals sit down for stew and a read-aloud of Grandma's favorite story, "Little Red Riding Hood." Basing the book on the game "What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?" (rules on the back flap), Brown takes this game of tag and turns it into something quite delightful. The watercolor art is top-notch, with every character humorously distinctive. His depiction of Grandma is a particularly fine mixture of menace and sly good humor. A fun read-aloud.
About the Author
KEN BROWN was born in Birmingham, England, and studied illustration at Birmingham Art College. He has worked in advertising as an art director and at the BBC as a graphic designer, and has produced and directed television commercials. Brown has served both as writer-illustrator and as illustrator for numerous children抯 books, among them THE SCARECROW'S HAT, DILLY-DALLY AND THE NINE SECRETS, THE WOLF IS COMING!, and MUCKY PUP, which was short-listed for England抯 Kate Greenaway Medal. He lives with his wife, Ruth Brown, also a well-known children抯 illustrator, in Bath, England, with their two sons.
