Wolf

Becky Bloom presents a tale about a quite unusual wolf, a wolf who will likely inspire your students to take a page out of his book.  Like many picture books the story commences before the text even emerges, on the inside of the opening cover.  Readers will find a grumpy wolf with nap-sack trudging through the streets of town.  The wolf chooses to make his way to a nearby farm to find himself something to eat, but when he arrives  he is alarmed to discover farmyard animals who not only have no fear, but appear engrossed in their reading.  The animals are quick to inform the wolf that he must learn to read if he wishes to become a part of their community.  The wolf takes the challenge and attends school in order to become educated like the animals on the farm.  The story takes readers through the phases a beginning reader must progress through as they learn how to read.  At first the wolf reads a very easy reader, with words "Run, wolf! Run!, and gradually progresses to reading The Three Little Pigs.  However, the animals criticize the wolf for his reading style and he quickly returns to the library to read more books and become more fluent in his reading.  When the wolf finally ventures back to the educated animals they are completely astonished by his reading abilities and beg him to read book after book, after book.  
       I discovered this book in my practicum classroom as the teacher read it aloud to the students.  In the first few pages of the story I predicted that the book would be a parody of The Three Little Pigs since the wolf was on his way to find food of the animal variety, however the tale took a sharp turn upon the encounter of educated farm animals.   I couldn't help, but wonder whether the students had made a similar connection to the The Three Little Pigs and had I been in charge of the read aloud I think I might have probed for their thoughts.
     The teacher chose the book in order to demonstrate concepts from reading workshop to the children.  Reading workshop is a reading program in which children read in whole-groups, small groups and individually.  When children read individually they are allowed to make themselves comfortable throughout the classroom, as the teacher calls on particular children to conference about their reading.  The vibrant water color illustration of the animals reading outside the barn, specifically the cow lounging on the pile of hay, provides a perfect depiction of the atmosphere that ought to be present while children are reading quietly during reading workshop.  Later on in the story, when the animals asked  the wolf to change his reading style, the teacher explained that the animals were referring to the wolf's fluency.  Defining the concept of fluency, she let the children know that they would be practicing their fluency and the best way to practice fluency is to read and read and read.  
    On a side note, while listening to the read aloud I became aware of how the new generation of children has no recollection of the Dick and Jane books.  The teacher had to explain that "Run, wolf! Run!" was in fact a reference to a Dick and Jane book with the phrase "Run, Spot! Run!".  The teacher and I exchanged glances and chuckled at this discovery.      
   All in all I love how the book ensures children that learning to read is not impossible.  Children can easily relate to the wolf and aspire to work hard and become a star reader just like him.  Sue Sherif says "Parents, teachers, librarians, and newly skilled readers will love the unabashedly undisguised message of the text".  Thus, the tale is for all ages and inspires both children and teachers alike!