Rabbit and the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf

February 18, 2013
Comic dialogues about the threat of wolves aren’t new, but this marshmallow-light creation from a French team combines familiar elements (scared rabbit, discussion of the wolf’s threatening features) in a novel way. It’s also blessedly free of snarkiness. An unseen narrator asks a mute white rabbit whether it knows the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf, and the rabbit sketches a wolf with chalk on a blackboard. “No, that is the Big Bad Wolf. The Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf has small ears,” the narrator replies. A page turn reveals the rabbit’s amended drawing: the pointed wolf ears have been erased and stubby ears drawn over them (the smudgy eraser marks eloquently suggest the rabbit’s haste and nervousness). “Yes, the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf looks like that,” the voice says after several more changes that make the wolf look a lot like a girl in a wolf suit, “and here it comes!” The hide-and-seek climax is fine for bedtime reading, and the “wolf,” despite grabbing the scared rabbit by its ears, lives up to its name. Neatly conceived and executed, with lots of giggles. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2013
An unseen narrator slyly frightens a rabbit by describing the not-very-wolflike characteristics of an approaching wolf. Readers peer across a tabletop at a rabbit cowering behind the other side. "Tell me, Rabbit. Do you know the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf?" asks the narrator, who seems positioned in the same place as readers. Ever silent, Rabbit draws a Big Bad Wolf on a wall-mounted blackboard while the narrator urges corrections: Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf has smaller ears, smaller nose, smaller teeth and longer hair than a Big Bad. Rabbit draws each change, while the rubbed-out chalk lines remain nicely visible too. Suddenly, "here it comes!" The chalk likeness appears decidedly un-lupine at this point, yet the rabbit flees in terror. Wolf approaches from the left of the page, showing only claws; Rabbit bounds to the right, diving behind a ball--"Not there. The wolf can see your ears"--and then a pile of books--"Not there. The wolf can see your tail." The "wolf," when it appears, is pretty benign, and the recently screaming-and-running rabbit reverts to expressionlessness. Escoffier's story demonstrates that things may be less frightening than they seem; however, edginess seeps in through Di Giacomo's rough scribble-style lines on rustic, pulpy paper, blank backgrounds that spotlight the chase, the wolf-suited (Max-like) child's grasp on the rabbit's ears, and some excremental evidence (recurring on the endpapers) of the rabbit's real fear. In offering three distinct viewpoints, this curious piece makes a splendid conversation-starter. (Picture book. 3-6)

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April 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 3-Rabbit is asked if he knows the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf. When he draws a picture for the unseen narrator, he is told that the ears are too big. The same goes for the nose and teeth. With each new description, Rabbit alters his chalk drawing until he hears that the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf is coming, and that it smells rabbit! Hide, Rabbit! A ball won't do the trick, and neither will a stack of books. But when the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf catches Rabbit, it gives him an unexpected, happy surprise. The large, bold, mixed-media illustrations are pleasing to the eye. Di Giacomo's minimalist depiction of Rabbit is charming, and her raw style is appealing. A satisfying story that children will enjoy and most likely will want to read over and over again.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2013
Grades K-3 There are two things going on in this concise picture book. First, Rabbit needs to differentiate between the Big Bad Wolf and the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf, which he does with the help of the book's narrator (who happens to be the reader). Second, Rabbit needs to hide from the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf, which he finally manages after a few frenzied failed attempts. When the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf (a child who bears a resemblance to Maurice Sendak's Max) finally finds Rabbit, nervous readers will breathe a sigh of relief, though they may debate whether Rabbit is pleased or not. The premise of the book, where the reader is seemingly directing the action, is achieved not only through the text but also through extremely expressive Rabbit, who stares straight through the fourth wall, awaiting instructions on each page. The mixed media illustrations, incorporating traditional and computerized techniques, are as spare as the text, leaving plenty of space for the reader to fill in the details. While this book would work as a read-aloud, it would be equally successful for emerging readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)