This epistolary early chapter book, illustrated with black-and-white sketches, tells the story of Little Wolf, whose parents insist that he go to Cunning College, out in the Frettnin Forest, to earn his Bad Badge. All too good, Little Wolf begs to be allowed to return home, but to no avail. He makes the journey to the college, is expelled by his Uncle Bigbad, and ends up earning a very different kind of badge by some Cub Scouts he happens across.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 1-3

Plot Summary: Little Wolf does NOT want to go to Cunning College. He does not want to walk all the way there. He does not want to find his uncle, who runs the school. He does not want to learn how to be a big bad wolf. But alas, his parents are making him go. Every day, and sometimes more than once a day, he writes a letter to his parents sharing his adventures, sorrows, and complaints. He goes the long way to Frettnin Forest (as evidenced by the map at the beginning of the book) and when he arrives he finds his cranky old uncle has closed the college. Can he convince his uncle to reopen the school for him? Can he learn the 9 Rules of Badness and become a big, bad wolf?

Setting: Made up: Frettnin Forest

Characters:
Little Wolf - tries to be bad but actually likes to be good
Uncle Bigbad - cranky, sour, a miser, had a partner but lost his trust, greedy, needy, poor
Mom and Dad - Little Wolf's parents, never write back to him
Boy Scouts - Little Wolf and Uncle Bigbad scare them in the forest, but then Little Wolf becomes friends with them and they share their rules with each other

Recurring Themes: fractured fairy tale, big bad wolf, school, miser, elderly, little red riding hood, letter, adventure, travel, independence, caring for others, good vs. bad, made up adverbs, complain, spelling

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: A cute idea. My biggest issue with it was that it didn't have a climax. Some bad grammar and spelling, but many times Little Wolf writes it multiple times.

Genre: Fractured Fairy Tale, fantasy

Pacing: slow-medium, there isn't a climax to the story, the little wolf takes a while to get to his uncle's and all he does is complain
Characters: very few
Frame: should be familiar with Little Red Riding Hood
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

Little Wolf is sent away from his family to join his uncle (Big Bad Wolf) to learn how to be bad. Even though badness isn't really something you can learn, Little Wolf is determined to do his best and make his parents proud. Along his journey, he writes to his parents to keep them up on his adventures (and misadventures) in badness.

The premise is there to be funny, but I didn't laugh at all. I just kept looking to see how many pages were left. While I'm sure some readers will enjoy it, the terrible spelling and weird words will make it harder for younger kids. ( )

Very funny story about a young wolf who has a tough time being bad. Through letters home and meeting new aquaintences along the way, the little wolf learns many lessons - funny and serious. I highly recommend this book to students in grades 3rd-5th. ( )

A fractured fairy tale of sorts, Little Wolf’s letters home are amusing and heartwarming as he relates lessons learned from his uncle the Big Bad Wolf. The reader delights in hearing slightly different but familiar elements such as “Little Red Goodie-Hoodie,” how Little Wolf practices huffing and puffing so long on dandelions that he gets dizzy, or how he could not sleep because his Uncle was howling at the moon. Filled with small, humorous sketches, the reader laughs along with Little Wolf as he earns his badge of badness.

Classroom uses- Students could pretend to be Little Wolf’s parents and write him return letters, or they could try their hand at being the Big Bad Wolf writing report cards home to his parents. ( )