Steve, Raised by Wolves

August 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Fair-haired Steve appears to be a regular boy, but there's one thing that sets him apart-his parents are wolves. Mrs. Wolf sends her son (cub?) off on his first day of school with some good advice: to have a great day and "just be yourself." That advice backfires as Steve acts the way he normally does-growling, howling, and pouncing-much to the dismay of his fellow students and Mrs. Meadows. On the second day, his mother suggests that he be himself while also attempting to fit in a bit more, but he continues to alienate others with his behavior. It's only when the class pet disappears from its cage that one of Steve's talents earns him the admiration of his teacher and classmates. The humorous pen and ink drawings, colored digitally using bright, saturated shades, vary from spreads to smaller framed pictures. Children will get a kick out of Steve's antics, such as giving everyone fleas, drinking from the toilet, and eating questionable food for lunch. VERDICT A great storytime book, but be prepared for some howling.-Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
As the title indicates, Chapman plays with the raised-by-wolves trope in this first-day-of-school book. As might be expected of a feral child, Steve's transition to school is not a smooth one, despite a pep talk from his wolf mother ("just be yourself"). A day of mayhem yields scowls from his classmates and a note from his teacher. The next day does not go much better, but his mother is determined that he keep at it. On the third, though, "Steve's wolf instincts" save the day when he follows his nose to the lost class hamster. (Happily, he does not then eat it.) Chapman's bright, flat digital cartoons depict Steve as a towheaded white child with a protruding lower canine; Steve's kindergarten class is nicely multiethnic, including his brown-skinned teacher. Although Chapman doesn't take the scenario as far as it could go-somehow these wolves have acquired clothing for Steve and more or less trained him to wear it-he still generates quite a few laughs. From his dead-bird sandwich (wings protruding from the bread) and his habit of sitting on his haunches and howling to his gleeful marking of the playground slide, Steve's wolflike behavior will have children giggling. Whether readers extrapolate from Steve's experiences to their own is open to question, but the story's message of the need to balance individuality with group expectations is neatly presented. (Picture book. 5-8)

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September 1, 2015
Grades K-2 This farcical twist on a child's first day of school by the author of Pirate, Viking & Scientist (2014) stars a lanky, spiky-haired, fang-toothed kid who has never boarded a school bus or been in a classroom. Steve prefers hunting rabbits and chasing campers. On the big day, Steve wakes up in the den where he's been raised, struggles into clothes, and takes his backpack in his teeth. His wolf mother tells him, Just be yourself. But Steve howls during attendance, pounces on other kids, and shreds posters in the hallway. After a note is sent home, Steve's mother tweaks her advice, asking him to try to find a way to be himself and get along with his new pack. This is a struggleuntil the class hamster goes missing. Steve uses his tracking talent (and a little self-restraint) to bring the pet safely back. Chapman, who used to be a Walt Disney Television animator, matches dot-eyed, primary-colored cartoon illustrations with simply put, deadpan humor to shape a clever reversal story with an uplifting resolution.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)